Midwest Trust Co Cuts Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Key Points

• Midwest Trust Co trimmed its Alphabet stake by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 13,588 shares and ending with 723,179 shares valued at about $226.4 million. Alphabet remains its 5th-largest holding, making up roughly 2.8% of the portfolio.
• Alphabet reported a strong quarterly update, posting EPS of $5.11 versus expectations of $2.64 and revenue of $109.9 billion, topping estimates. The company also beat on profitability, with a 38.99% return on equity and a 37.92% net margin.
• Alphabet raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $412.65. The stock was also up 0.3% on the day cited in the article.

Midwest Trust Co reduced its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 723,179 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 13,588 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for approximately 2.8% of Midwest Trust Co's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Midwest Trust Co's holdings in Alphabet were worth $226,355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. PMV Capital Advisers LLC bought a new position in Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $53,000. Kentucky Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 142.9% in the fourth quarter. Kentucky Trust Co now owns 170 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $63,000. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.3%

GOOGL stock opened at $390.13 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $162.00 and a twelve month high of $408.61. The company has a market cap of $4.73 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.26. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $344.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $324.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $2.47. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The business had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.98 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.41%.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s Google Cloud announced a partnership with Swedish private equity firm EQT to help more than 300 portfolio companies accelerate AI adoption, reinforcing Google Cloud’s enterprise AI momentum. Reuters: Private equity firm EQT partners with Google Cloud for AI rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, began opening its new Ojai robotaxi to select riders; the vehicle is designed to be cheaper to manufacture and lower fleet-expansion costs, which could improve the long-term economics of the business. CNBC: Waymo opens Ojai robotaxis to select riders
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reportedly reiterated a bullish view on Alphabet Class A shares, adding to the case that investors still see upside in the company’s core businesses and AI initiatives.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet is testing Gemini-powered Search ad formats, including conversational discovery and highlighted answers, which could eventually boost monetization but is still in the early rollout phase. Yahoo Finance: GOOGL's Innovative Ad Format to Boost Search Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pieces focused on Alphabet’s stock valuation and technical setup, including commentary suggesting support near current levels and possible upside toward $400, but these are market opinions rather than new fundamentals. Finbold: Google stock is guaranteed to hit $400...
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Justice Department charged a Google software engineer with insider trading tied to Polymarket bets, which adds reputational noise and could keep scrutiny on Alphabet’s internal controls and compliance culture. Reuters: US charges Google engineer with insider trading on Polymarket
• Negative Sentiment: Competitor commentary, including DuckDuckGo’s criticism of Google’s AI search overhaul and claims that some users are switching away, highlights ongoing competitive and antitrust pressure on Alphabet’s Search franchise. Yahoo Finance: 'It's Time To Fire Google,' Urges Alphabet's Search Engine Rival

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on GOOGL. Arete Research lifted their price objective on Alphabet from $405.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $393.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Alphabet from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. HSBC lifted their price objective on Alphabet from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $412.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.63, for a total transaction of $178,701.71. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 10,093 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,923,235.59. This trade represents a 5.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 11.61% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google's core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google's consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.

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