Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. Grows Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Key Points

• Asahi Life Asset Management increased its Alphabet stake by 39.3% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 24,884 shares valued at approximately $8.9 million. Alphabet now represents about 5% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $9.11 per share and revenue of $119.8 billion, exceeding analyst expectations. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share.
• Institutional sentiment remains broadly positive, with investors including Vanguard, State Street and Bank of America increasing their positions and analysts maintaining a consensus “Buy” rating. However, antitrust remedies, investigations, insider selling and delays to Gemini upgrades remain risks.

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 39.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,884 shares of the information services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,023 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up about 5.0% of Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $8,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 528,969,322 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $165,567,398,000 after buying an additional 12,531,695 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Alphabet by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 229,954,269 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $40,524,841,000 after buying an additional 4,008,374 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 146,193,037 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $45,625,595,000 after buying an additional 2,666,676 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,534,239,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Alphabet by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 69,108,183 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $21,630,861,000 after acquiring an additional 3,218,852 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

NASDAQ GOOGL opened at $342.48 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $349.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $342.64. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $226.11 and a 52 week high of $408.61. The company has a quick ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.19 trillion, a P/E ratio of 17.20, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.22.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $6.22. The company had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.07 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.42%.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A federal judge rejected the U.S. government’s request to force Google to sell its AdX advertising exchange and other ad-tech assets. Although Alphabet must change certain business practices, avoiding a breakup preserves the company’s advertising infrastructure and revenue potential. Google defeats US bid to force ad tech sale
• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway increased its Alphabet stake, with CEO Greg Abel describing Google as a significant AI player. The investment is a high-profile endorsement of Alphabet’s long-term competitive position in AI. Berkshire CEO Abel says Alphabet a significant player in AI
• Positive Sentiment: Google introduced conversational AI voice features for Gmail, Docs and Keep, expanding Gemini’s integration into widely used Workspace products. A new weather-forecasting model and planned AI image tools also highlight continued product development and potential monetization opportunities. Google launches AI voice features in Gmail, Docs and Keep
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed its buy rating and set a $410 price target. Alphabet will also pay a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share to eligible shareholders, adding to its shareholder-return appeal. Google to pay dividends this month
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet agreed to purchase approximately 396 megawatts of geothermal power from Fervo Energy for a Utah data center, with an expansion option. The deal supports reliable power for AI infrastructure but also underscores the scale and cost of Alphabet’s data-center buildout.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to weigh antitrust-related behavioral remedies, a securities-fraud investigation, insider selling reports and concerns that the promised Gemini 3.5 Pro flagship model remains delayed. These issues could limit sentiment despite the favorable breakup ruling. Securities fraud investigation into Alphabet

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on GOOGL shares. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $355.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $445.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. New Street Research lifted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $450.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $420.19.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $387,061.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,481 shares in the company, valued at $545,941.03. This represents a 41.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total value of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,386 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,125,015.20. This trade represents a 1.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 451,925 shares of company stock worth $12,371,544. 11.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Alphabet

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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