SFE Investment Counsel Sells 4,794 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• SFE Investment Counsel cut its Alphabet stake by 12.5% in Q1, selling 4,794 shares and leaving it with 33,492 shares valued at about $9.6 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Alphabet, with an average Buy rating and a $378.53 target price, while several analysts recently reiterated bullish views despite one downgrade to Hold.
• Alphabet’s latest results were strong, with Q1 EPS of $5.11 versus $2.68 expected and revenue up 21.8% year over year, though the stock still faces regulatory pressure from the EU and Swiss authorities.

SFE Investment Counsel decreased its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 12.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,492 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 4,794 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 1.5% of SFE Investment Counsel's portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. SFE Investment Counsel's holdings in Alphabet were worth $9,608,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A boosted 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 valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Pivotal Research restated a "buy" rating and set a $470.00 price target (up from $420.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Freedom Capital cut Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "market outperform" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $378.53.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett said he personally initiated Berkshire Hathaway’s purchase of Alphabet, giving the stock a high-profile vote of confidence and reinforcing the view that GOOG remains attractive ahead of earnings. Warren Buffett tells CNBC he initiated Berkshire Hathaway's investment in Alphabet
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts and market articles said Alphabet’s AI-driven search, cloud growth, and improving earnings outlook could support another results beat, keeping investor sentiment constructive. Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s large clean-power purchase and ongoing AI infrastructure investment signal continued support for long-term cloud and AI expansion, which investors may view as a strength. Google's biggest clean power project is 40 miles north of xAI's unpermitted gas power plant
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet continues to receive favorable brokerage and valuation commentary, with some coverage highlighting strong AI monetization but noting the stock is already pricing in a lot of optimism. GOOGL Stock: Do AI Growth Drivers Justify the Premium Valuation?
• Negative Sentiment: The EU is preparing new fines against Google, adding to regulatory overhang and reminding investors that antitrust risk remains a key issue for the stock. EU Prepares to Fine Google as Part of Increased Big Tech Enforcement
• Negative Sentiment: Google also faced fresh scrutiny from Swiss regulators and new AI-related criticism and lawsuits, which could pressure sentiment around its core search and AI businesses. Google probed by Swiss regulator over Android default search feature

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total value of $153,432.28. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 27,348 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,345,358.56. This represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $387,061.50. Following the sale, the director owned 1,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $545,941.03. The trade was a 41.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 159,415 shares of company stock worth $7,672,279 over the last quarter. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Alphabet stock opened at $370.21 on Thursday. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.50 and a twelve month high of $404.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market capitalization of $4.49 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.24, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.23. The stock's 50 day moving average is $368.14 and its 200 day moving average is $336.31.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The business had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.81 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

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

Alphabet Company 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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