Carlson Financial Inc. Invests $607,000 in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Key Points

• Carlson Financial initiated a $607,000 position in Alphabet during the second quarter, purchasing 1,699 shares. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 40.03% of the company.
• Alphabet reported quarterly earnings of $9.11 per share and revenue of $119.8 billion, far exceeding analyst estimates of $2.89 per share and $117.07 billion, respectively.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $422.16, compared with the stock’s reported price of $349.54; Alphabet also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share.

Carlson Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,699 shares of the information services provider's stock, valued at approximately $607,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 45,394,474 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $14,208,470,000 after acquiring an additional 208,362 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 38,106,033 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $11,927,189,000 after purchasing an additional 583,078 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 29,166,806 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $9,129,210,000 after purchasing an additional 478,848 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 31,745,979 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $9,128,850,000 after purchasing an additional 3,574,810 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 17,724,321 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $6,334,186,000 after purchasing an additional 1,631,721 shares during the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total value of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 27,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 82 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.71, for a total transaction of $27,692.22. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,995 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,414,801.45. The trade was a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 450,875 shares of company stock worth $11,984,482 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 11.61% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.6%

Alphabet stock opened at $349.54 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $345.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $344.91. The company has a quick ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $235.84 and a 12 month high of $408.61. The stock has a market cap of $4.27 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.22.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $6.22. The company had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.07 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOGL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Pivotal Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $475.00 price target (up from $470.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $425.00 price objective (up from $405.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $400.00 to $379.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $445.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $422.16.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI chip sales add a new revenue stream: Alphabet began recognizing revenue from sales of its internally developed AI chip systems in the second quarter. Investors may view the business as both a potential growth driver and a way to monetize Google’s technology infrastructure. 2 Stocks to Buy as Google Starts Selling Its AI Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst raises price target: Tigress Financial Partners increased its price target for GOOGL to $485, reflecting confidence in Alphabet’s Search, Cloud, YouTube, Gemini and custom-chip opportunities. Alphabet Price Target Raised to $485
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo expands internationally: Alphabet’s autonomous-driving unit plans to launch an all-electric robotaxi service in Singapore by 2028, strengthening the long-term investment case for Alphabet’s “Other Bets” portfolio. Waymo to Bring Autonomous Ride-Hailing to Singapore
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity signals bullish positioning: Investors purchased roughly 520,000 Alphabet call options, above typical volume, indicating increased speculative interest in further upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: Ad-tech ruling avoids a breakup but imposes restrictions: A federal judge ordered Google to share more auction data with publishers and appoint an antitrust monitor, but rejected a forced breakup. Avoiding structural separation limits the immediate risk to Alphabet’s advertising business, while the behavioral remedies could pressure operations and margins. Tech Watchdogs Criticize Google Adtech Ruling
• Negative Sentiment: Higher rates and AI spending remain risks: The Federal Reserve’s rate increase and Alphabet’s heavy investment in AI infrastructure could keep pressure on free cash flow and valuation, even as Cloud backlog and AI demand remain strong.

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology and holding company founded in 2015 through a restructuring of Google. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and operates globally, serving consumers, businesses, advertisers and developers across numerous countries and regions.

Alphabet's largest business is Google Services, which includes Google Search, online advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and hardware products such as Pixel devices. These products support activities including internet search, digital content distribution, mobile computing, online communications and advertising.

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