Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Has $27.70 Million Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise reduced its Alphabet stake by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 4,182 shares and ending with 88,260 shares valued at about $27.7 million. Alphabet remained its 14th-largest holding and about 1% of the portfolio.
• Alphabet’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $5.11 versus $2.68 expected and revenue of $109.9 billion, up 21.8% year over year. Analysts now expect the company to earn 14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Wall Street sentiment remains bullish, with several firms reiterating or raising targets, including JPMorgan to $460 and Scotiabank to $450. The stock has an average analyst rating of Buy and an average price target of $372.65.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lessened its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 88,260 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 4,182 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up about 1.0% of Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings in Alphabet were worth $27,696,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 1,438.5% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 200 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alphabet news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $393.26, for a total value of $412,923.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,531 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $995,341.06. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 226,481 shares of company stock worth $27,422,061. Insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOG opened at $376.43 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $343.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $324.30. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $404.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.71, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.25.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.81 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on GOOG shares. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $370.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $372.65.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud delivered a standout Q1 result, with revenue up 63% to $20 billion, margin reaching 32.9%, and backlog rising to $462 billion. That reinforces Alphabet’s growing second engine beyond search and supports the bull case for further upside. GOOGL Rides on Surging Google Cloud Demand: More Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud is also getting validation from new enterprise partnerships, including EQT’s rollout to help more than 300 portfolio companies adopt AI using Google Cloud tools. Private equity firm EQT partners with Google Cloud for AI rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo news continues to suggest Alphabet’s autonomous-driving business may be undervalued, with the new Ojai robotaxi designed to lower fleet costs and expand capacity. That strengthens the long-term optionality in Alphabet’s non-advertising businesses. Waymo opens Ojai robotaxis to select riders as company aims to lower cost of fleet
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer was supportive, calling Alphabet a “crucial position” and saying “there’s a lot to like here,” which can help reinforce bullish sentiment among retail investors. Jim Cramer on Alphabet: “There’s a Lot to Like Here”
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares were also mentioned in analyst-style and market commentary framing Alphabet as a core AI and cloud beneficiary, but these pieces were largely reiterations rather than new catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: An Indian court ruling on keyword ads could increase trademark and legal risk for Google’s search advertising business, raising concerns about a core profit driver. Indian court ruling on Google keyword ads could reshape online advertising
• Negative Sentiment: News that a Google engineer was charged in a $1.2 million Polymarket insider-trading case may create a modest reputational overhang, even though it is not a direct business or financial issue for Alphabet. US charges Google engineer with insider trading on Polymarket

Alphabet Profile

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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