Value Investment Professionals LLC Makes New Investment in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Value Investment Professionals LLC opened a new position in Alphabet, buying 17,057 shares worth about $4.9 million. The stake now represents roughly 2.3% of the firm’s portfolio and is its 9th-largest holding.
• Alphabet continues to draw bullish analyst coverage, with several firms reaffirming buy ratings and raising price targets as high as $475. MarketBeat says the stock’s consensus rating remains Buy with an average price target of $376.19.
• The company recently posted strong quarterly results, including EPS of $5.11 versus expectations of $2.68 and revenue of $109.9 billion, up 21.8% year over year. Alphabet also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share, while insider sales and recent stock weakness remain a drag on sentiment.

Value Investment Professionals LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 17,057 shares of the information services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,899,000. Alphabet makes up about 2.3% of Value Investment Professionals LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 8.8% during the first quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 3,793 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,088,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. increased its holdings in Alphabet by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 129,619 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $37,183,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Tanglewood Legacy Advisors LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 10.9% during the first quarter. Tanglewood Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 1,220 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 37.7% in the first quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 661 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $190,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Turn8 Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the first quarter valued at approximately $413,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GOOG. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial set a $430.00 price objective on Alphabet in a research note on Monday, June 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Alphabet from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $376.19.

Alphabet Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of GOOG opened at $358.71 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $4.35 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. 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's fifty day moving average is $369.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $334.74. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $173.88 and a fifty-two week high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.81 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th were 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 was Monday, June 8th. This is an increase from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,348 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,345,358.56. This represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 160,465 shares of company stock worth $8,020,511. Insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

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 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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