Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Cuts Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Key Points

• Clifford Swan Investment Counsel reduced its Alphabet stake by 2.7% in the second quarter, selling 10,475 shares and retaining 379,220 shares valued at approximately $135.5 million. Alphabet remains the firm’s second-largest holding and represents 4.3% of its portfolio.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with $9.11 in earnings per share and $119.8 billion in revenue, exceeding analyst expectations. Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $420.19.
• Insiders sold 450,875 Alphabet shares worth nearly $12 million over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own 40.03% of the stock. Alphabet also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, equivalent to a 0.3% yield.

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lowered its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 379,220 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 10,475 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 4.3% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $135,522,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $30,534,239,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 855.3% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 14,525,280 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $4,546,413,000 after acquiring an additional 13,004,828 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 28.0% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 53,107,572 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $12,910,542,000 after acquiring an additional 11,605,785 shares during the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 28,950.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,291,926 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $2,671,986,000 after purchasing an additional 9,259,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 90.9% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 17,040,373 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $4,900,078,000 after purchasing an additional 8,112,680 shares during the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Walker sold 8,998 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total transaction of $3,142,911.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares in the company, valued at $26,298,044.10. This represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 27,386 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. This trade represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 450,875 shares of company stock valued at $11,984,482 over the last 90 days. 11.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOGL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price target on shares of Alphabet and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $420.19.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOGL opened at $338.50 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $4.14 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.22. The company's fifty day moving average is $346.75 and its 200-day moving average is $343.88. 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.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $6.22. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The company had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.07 billion. Equities analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google agreed to secure nuclear power for 22 years, reportedly locking in roughly half of a plant’s output through 2049. The deal could provide more predictable electricity costs and reliable power for energy-intensive AI data centers, strengthening Alphabet’s infrastructure position. Alphabet Jumps 2.5% After Locking In 22 Years of Nuclear Power
• Positive Sentiment: Google completed its acquisition of AI startup Mechanize in a deal reportedly valued at more than $1.5 billion. Mechanize’s former CEO and other employees are joining Google, potentially adding talent focused on AI agents and automation. Google just completed its $1.5 billion-plus deal for AI startup Mechanize
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary highlighted Alphabet’s strong AI and cloud outlook. Google Cloud is reportedly growing 82% year over year, while Alphabet’s Gemini technology is expanding into professional video-editing software, supporting the case that AI can broaden enterprise revenue beyond search advertising. Microsoft Vs. Alphabet: The Enterprise Fight No One Saw Coming
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to present Alphabet as attractively valued relative to its growth prospects. The company’s latest reported quarter exceeded expectations, with earnings of $9.11 per share versus a $2.89 consensus estimate and revenue of $119.8 billion versus $117.07 billion expected.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s inclusion among major AI and cloud beneficiaries, along with Berkshire Hathaway’s reported position in the company, may support investor interest but does not represent a new operating catalyst. Berkshire Hathaway Has a New Top Holding, and It Dominates Its Market
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm said it is continuing an investigation into possible federal securities-law violations involving Alphabet. The announcement does not establish wrongdoing, but it introduces a potential legal and reputational overhang. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Alphabet Continues
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet faces scrutiny over the scale of AI infrastructure spending, potential financing pressure across the AI industry, and electricity-demand concerns related to new data centers. Finland opposition parties have warned that Google’s expansion could strain local power supplies and raise energy costs. Finland Risks Strained Power Supply After Google AI Deal

About Alphabet

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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