Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Has $158.43 Million Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. trimmed its Alphabet stake by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, but still held 504,885 shares worth about $158.4 million. Alphabet remains its 13th-largest position and about 1.7% of its portfolio.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive: Alphabet has a consensus “Buy” rating with a consensus price target of $372.65, while recent calls from firms like Raymond James and JPMorgan were bullish and lifted price targets.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $5.11 and revenue of $109.9 billion, both ahead of expectations. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21.

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. cut its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 504,885 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 6,317 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up about 1.7% of Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $158,433,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ring Mountain Capital LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. grew its position in Alphabet by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 919 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, April 20th. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $348.00 price objective (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $372.65.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total transaction of $2,481,078.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,293,309.12. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total transaction of $10,006,425.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,642,060 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $505,573,853.40. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alphabet News Roundup

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 Trading Down 2.5%

GOOG opened at $376.43 on Friday. 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 PE ratio of 28.71, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.25. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $404.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $343.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $324.30.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.81 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This is an increase from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.71%.

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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