Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Sells 20,899 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA cut its Alphabet position by 31% in Q1, selling 20,899 shares and leaving it with 46,509 shares valued at about $13.34 million.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, posting $5.11 EPS versus $2.68 expected and revenue of $109.9 billion, up 21.8% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on GOOG, with an average Buy rating and a consensus price target of $376.19; the stock also recently paid a higher quarterly dividend of $0.22.

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA trimmed its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 31.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 46,509 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 20,899 shares during the period. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA's holdings in Alphabet were worth $13,342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in Alphabet by 38,409.2% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 179,836,276 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,643,262,000 after purchasing an additional 179,369,280 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 28,482.8% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 112,091,870 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $35,174,429,000 after purchasing an additional 111,699,704 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth $18,093,665,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 850.3% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 17,692,600 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,551,938,000 after buying an additional 15,830,754 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $132,114,125,000 after buying an additional 8,128,234 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $358.71 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92. The firm has a market cap of $4.35 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The stock's 50-day moving average is $369.48 and its 200-day moving average is $334.74. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $173.88 and a one year high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.Alphabet's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.81 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th were given a $0.22 dividend. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's payout ratio is presently 6.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total transaction of $153,432.28. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 27,348 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,345,358.56. The trade was a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 160,465 shares of company stock valued at $8,020,511 in the last three months. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on GOOG shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial set a $430.00 price target on Alphabet in a report on Monday, June 1st. TD Cowen raised their price target on Alphabet from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $376.19.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous driving unit, said it plans to expand driverless rides to four more major cities this year, a sign that Alphabet’s self-driving business is scaling beyond its current markets. Waymo Plans to Expand Driverless Cars to 4 More Major Cities This Year
• Positive Sentiment: Google’s SynthID deepfake-detection system was used to debunk a high-profile AI-generated hoax image, highlighting the practical value of Alphabet’s AI safety tools. Google's deepfake detector system used to debunk McConnell hoax pic
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles continued to frame Alphabet as a beneficiary of the AI infrastructure boom, with Google Cloud and AI demand seen as supporting revenue growth and long-term earnings power. 3 Top-Ranked Stocks Riding on Massive AI Infrastructure Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary has also remained constructive after strong recent earnings, with one analysis arguing Alphabet is on track to sustain “Rule of 40” type growth and healthy margins. Alphabet Stock: Locking In Long-Term Rule Of 40 Supremacy
• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway’s reported $10 billion private placement in Alphabet continued to draw attention and may support confidence in GOOG’s long-term value. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Successor, Greg Abel, Just Bought More of This Magnificent Tech Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market recap and valuation pieces discussed Alphabet alongside other mega-cap AI leaders, but these were mostly commentary rather than new business developments. Three Most Valuable Companies at $13 Trillion: Buy, Sell, or Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Trading-data articles highlighted recent weakness in GOOG, including heavier-than-broad-market selling and reports of significant insider selling over the past six months, which can weigh on sentiment. GOOGL stock is down 3% today. Here's what we see in our data.

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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