Aureus Asset Management LLC Sells 33,332 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Aureus Asset Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 41.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,774 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 33,332 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 0.9% of Aureus Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Aureus Asset Management LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $13,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $319.09 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $360.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $337.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 2.72. The company has a market capitalization of $3.87 trillion, a PE ratio of 16.03, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $188.70 and a 52 week high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. The company had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $116.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.31 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on GOOG shares. Pivotal Research increased their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $470.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Wolfe Research set a $460.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Alphabet from $418.00 to $411.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Phillip Securities lowered Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $410.09.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet posted a strong Q2 beat, with revenue and EPS coming in ahead of expectations, while Google Cloud revenue surged 82% and cloud margins improved sharply.
• Positive Sentiment: AI and product demand remain strong, with management saying AI usage is rising across Search, Cloud, and Gemini, supporting the long-term growth story.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts reiterated bullish views or raised targets, and multiple commentary pieces argued the stock looks attractive after the pullback.
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon signed a deal worth more than $1 billion with Google for dark fiber connectivity, adding another sign of infrastructure demand tied to Alphabet’s data-center buildout. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo is reportedly considering ending its Uber partnership, which could affect how quickly Alphabet’s robotaxi business scales, but the direct financial impact is still unclear. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet also disclosed a large SpaceX stake and saw some institutional holders trim positions, but these items are secondary to the main debate over AI spending and cash flow.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were unnerved by Alphabet’s higher CapEx guidance and negative free cash flow, which raised concerns that AI spending may be outpacing near-term returns.
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet was also hit by an EU antitrust fine of about $1 billion, adding another regulatory overhang. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Moody’s warned that the industry-wide AI buildout could threaten credit quality at Alphabet and other hyperscalers, reinforcing concerns about balance-sheet strain from heavy infrastructure investment. Article Title

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total transaction of $153,432.28. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,348 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,345,358.56. This trade represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $387,061.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,481 shares in the company, valued at $545,941.03. This trade represents a 41.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 159,415 shares of company stock valued at $7,672,279. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

About Alphabet

Alphabet Inc NASDAQ: GOOG is a multinational technology holding company headquartered in Mountain View, California. Formed in 2015 through a corporate restructuring of Google, Alphabet serves as the parent to Google LLC and a portfolio of businesses collectively known as "Other Bets." Google was originally founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin; Alphabet is led by CEO Sundar Pichai, who oversees Google and the broader company while the founders remain prominent shareholders and influential figures in the company's history.

Alphabet's core business centers on internet search and advertising, with Google Search and the company's ad platforms (including Google Ads and AdSense) generating the majority of revenue by connecting advertisers with consumers worldwide.

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