UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Decreases Stock Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Key Points

• UNIVEST Financial Corp reduced its Alphabet stake by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 13,808 shares and leaving it with 266,266 shares valued at about $83.3 million. Alphabet remains its fourth-largest holding, making up 4.4% of the portfolio.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $5.11 versus the $2.64 consensus estimate and revenue of $109.9 billion versus expectations of $106.98 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.21 to $0.22 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with multiple firms lifting price targets and the stock carrying an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $412.65. Recent headlines also highlighted Google Cloud AI partnerships and Waymo’s robotaxi expansion as potential growth drivers.

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp cut its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 266,266 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 13,808 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises approximately 4.4% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp's holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp's holdings in Alphabet were worth $83,341,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of GOOGL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,338,397,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Alphabet by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 528,969,322 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $165,567,398,000 after acquiring an additional 12,531,695 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in Alphabet by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 53,107,572 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $12,910,542,000 after acquiring an additional 11,605,785 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Alphabet by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 50,732,476 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $12,333,076,000 after acquiring an additional 6,874,381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Cayman LP grew its position in Alphabet by 23,402.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP now owns 6,118,547 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,487,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,092,513 shares during the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the firm'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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.38, for a total value of $9,859,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,674,560 shares in the company, valued at $508,028,012.80. This represents a 1.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock worth $27,422,061 over the last three months. Insiders own 11.61% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOGL opened at $390.13 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $162.00 and a one year high of $408.61. The company has a 50 day moving average of $344.32 and a 200-day moving average of $324.52. 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 stock has a market cap of $4.73 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.26.

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

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is a positive change from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on GOOGL. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "neutral" rating and set a $393.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Loop Capital increased their price target on Alphabet from $355.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $435.00 price target (up from $427.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Moffett Nathanson increased their price target on Alphabet from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Alphabet from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $412.65.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

About Alphabet

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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