Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Shares Sold by Flossbach Von Storch SE

Key Points

• Flossbach Von Storch SE cut its Alphabet stake by 12.4% in Q4, selling 846,960 shares and leaving it with 5,965,970 shares valued at about $1.87 billion. Alphabet remains the firm’s largest position, making up roughly 7.4% of its portfolio.
• Analyst sentiment on Alphabet is broadly positive, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock holding an average Moderate Buy rating. The consensus price target is $410.84, while some recent targets climbed as high as $490.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $5.11 versus expectations of $2.64 and revenue of $109.9 billion. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21.

Flossbach Von Storch SE lessened its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 12.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,965,970 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 846,960 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 7.4% of Flossbach Von Storch SE's holdings, making the stock its largest position. Flossbach Von Storch SE's holdings in Alphabet were worth $1,867,349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOGL. PMV Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. Kentucky Trust Co boosted its position in Alphabet by 142.9% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Trust Co now owns 170 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GOOGL shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Alphabet from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Alphabet from $395.00 to $465.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Dbs Bank upped their price objective on Alphabet from $400.00 to $460.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Alphabet from $397.00 to $361.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $410.84.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total transaction of $2,481,078.77. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 51,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,293,309.12. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.63, for a total value of $178,701.71. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 10,093 shares in the company, valued at $2,923,235.59. This trade represents a 5.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 157,953 shares of company stock valued at $47,767,818 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 11.61% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $396.78 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $329.30 and its 200-day moving average is $317.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.81 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $162.00 and a 12-month high of $403.70.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $2.47. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.98 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%. Equities analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's payout ratio is presently 6.41%.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Loop Capital raised its price target on Alphabet to $490 and kept a buy rating, while Oppenheimer lifted its target to $445 with an outperform rating, reinforcing confidence in the company’s growth outlook. Loop Capital price target update Oppenheimer price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports pointed to Alphabet’s AI momentum ahead of Google I/O, including growing customer adoption of Gemini Flash and expectations that the event will showcase more AI innovation. Business Insider on Gemini Flash adoption BofA note on Google I/O
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also raised forward earnings estimates for Alphabet, suggesting continued confidence in monetization and profit growth. Alphabet earnings estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet completed a record-breaking yen bond sale, giving it fresh funding capacity to expand AI infrastructure while diversifying its financing sources. Yen bond issuance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Alphabet’s YouTube revenue, the company’s role in AI infrastructure, and Bill Ackman’s continued interest in mega-cap tech adds to the positive narrative, but these items are more supportive context than direct catalysts. YouTube revenue article Bill Ackman Mag 7 article
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage highlighted Alphabet’s valuation and the broader crowding in AI/mega-cap tech, which could make the stock more vulnerable if sentiment cools. Valuation rerating article UBS crowding warning
• Negative Sentiment: A report that Google may cap new Gmail accounts at 5GB of free storage could be seen as a consumer-unfriendly move and a possible engagement risk if implemented broadly. Gmail storage cap article
• Negative Sentiment: There was also some concern around competition and execution in AI and adjacent hardware, including comparison pieces on Alphabet versus Nvidia and broader AI rivalry. AI competition article

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google's core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google's consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.

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