Eschler Asset Management LLP Makes New $4.61 Million Investment in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Eschler Asset Management LLP opened a new position in Alphabet, buying 14,690 shares worth about $4.61 million. Alphabet now makes up about 3.1% of the firm’s portfolio and is its eighth-largest holding.
• Alphabet’s latest earnings showed strong performance, with $5.11 EPS versus $2.68 expected and revenue of $109.9 billion, up 21.8% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21.
• Analyst sentiment remains bullish overall, with major firms reiterating buy ratings and the stock carrying a consensus “Buy” rating and average price target of $376.78. Alphabet shares were trading around $358.16, near recent moving averages and below the average target.

Eschler Asset Management LLP bought a new position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 14,690 shares of the information services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,610,000. Alphabet accounts for about 3.1% of Eschler Asset Management LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Towne Trust Company N.A increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GOOG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Truist Financial set a $430.00 price target on Alphabet in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Citigroup reissued a "market outperform" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, June 1st. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $376.78.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of GOOG opened at $358.16 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $357.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $329.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92. The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.22. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.Alphabet's revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.81 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.3 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This is a positive change from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's payout ratio is currently 6.71%.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s drone-delivery unit Wing expanded into seven more U.S. cities with Walmart, reinforcing that its Other Bets can scale into real businesses and may be more valuable than the market gives them credit for.
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo launched a $29.99 monthly membership program, adding a recurring-revenue layer to its robotaxi business and highlighting rapid growth in paid rides, which investors may see as a meaningful long-term opportunity.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst and commentary pieces remain constructive on Alphabet’s AI, cloud, and search setup, with some calling it an AI powerhouse and lifting price targets, which supports the stock’s bullish narrative.
• Positive Sentiment: Google is also expanding its real-estate listings nationwide and continuing to deepen its AI infrastructure and chip strategy, reinforcing multiple growth avenues beyond search advertising.
• Neutral Sentiment: Google filed suit against an alleged Chinese cybercrime group that used AI to scam victims, a move that shows the company is actively defending its platforms, though the stock impact is likely limited unless the issue escalates.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet declined a $2 billion U.S. quantum-computing funding program, saying the terms could slow development; that may be viewed as a strategic choice rather than a major financial event.
• Neutral Sentiment: News that some billionaire investors sold Alphabet in Q1 while others bought more adds to the debate, but it does not change the underlying business fundamentals by itself.
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent coverage continues to focus on worries about rising capital expenditures and AI monetization, which can pressure sentiment if investors fear Alphabet’s AI spending will take longer to pay off.
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet’s AI Overview feature has also faced renewed controversy, adding another small overhang around search quality and user trust.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $393.26, for a total transaction of $412,923.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,531 shares in the company, valued at $995,341.06. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 193,016 shares of company stock worth $17,282,549. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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