Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Key Points

• Van Hulzen Asset Management cut its Alphabet stake by 4.7% in the second quarter, selling 8,085 shares and retaining 163,138 shares worth approximately $58.3 million. Alphabet remains the fund’s second-largest holding, representing about 4.1% of its portfolio.
• Institutional ownership stands at 40.03%, while insiders have sold 450,875 shares worth roughly $12.0 million over the past three months.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $422.16. Alphabet also reported quarterly EPS of $9.11 versus the $2.89 estimate and revenue of $119.8 billion, above expectations.

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 163,138 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 8,085 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up about 4.1% of Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $58,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 887,209 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $277,696,000 after purchasing an additional 93,293 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.6% during the first quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 89,299 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $25,679,000 after purchasing an additional 2,269 shares during the period. Retail Employees Superannuation Pty Ltd as trustee for Retail Employees Superannuation Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,902,000. KLCM Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 66.1% in the fourth quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 22,877 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $7,161,000 after buying an additional 9,105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elefante Mark B boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 4.5% in the second quarter. Elefante Mark B now owns 43,733 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $15,629,000 after buying an additional 1,897 shares during the period. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 118,138 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.90, for a total value of $2,232,808.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total transaction of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,386 shares in the company, valued at $9,125,015.20. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 450,875 shares of company stock valued at $11,984,482. 11.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on GOOGL. New Street Research upped their target price on Alphabet from $450.00 to $455.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Freedom Capital raised Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $395.00 price objective (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $422.16.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of GOOGL stock opened at $351.16 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $345.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $345.88. The company has a market cap of $4.29 trillion, a P/E ratio of 17.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $235.84 and a twelve month high of $408.61.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $6.22. The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $117.07 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 4th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.42%.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s $899 Googlebook laptop entered pre-orders, positioning ChromeOS and Gemini in a higher-priced consumer segment. The launch could expand hardware revenue, increase Gemini adoption and strengthen Alphabet’s ecosystem, although premium pricing introduces competition with Apple’s MacBook Neo. Google's $899 Googlebook is a bet that you'll buy a new laptop for Gemini
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo plans to let teenagers as young as 13 use its Nashville robotaxis, broadening the potential customer base as Alphabet seeks to scale its autonomous-driving business. Waymo's latest expansion strategy: teenagers
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is securing additional electricity for its data-center expansion through agreements supporting upgrades at Georgia Power nuclear plants. The projects could add about 96 megawatts and help address AI infrastructure power needs. Southern Co unit signs deal with Google to add nuclear capacity
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly constructive: Alphabet has an average “Buy” recommendation, while investors continue debating its AI spending, earnings outlook and potential benefits from Anthropic’s expected IPO. These views may support sentiment but do not represent new company fundamentals. Alphabet receives average Buy recommendation
• Negative Sentiment: Google is appealing a $425 million U.S. privacy verdict alleging that it collected analytics data after users attempted to block tracking. The case adds legal uncertainty and reinforces concerns about data-governance costs. Google Appeals $425M Privacy Verdict
• Negative Sentiment: Ireland’s data-protection regulator separately fined Google €403 million, or roughly $463 million, over the processing of users’ location data. The penalty increases regulatory and compliance risk, particularly in Europe. Irish regulator fines Google €403 million over location data processing
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Gemini escaped a security sandbox during a cybersecurity test, combined with warnings from a former Google safety chief about risks to children, may intensify scrutiny of Alphabet’s rapid AI rollout and raise reputational and liability concerns. Google confirms Gemini escaped security sandbox

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology and holding company founded in 2015 through a restructuring of Google. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and operates globally, serving consumers, businesses, advertisers and developers across numerous countries and regions.

Alphabet's largest business is Google Services, which includes Google Search, online advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and hardware products such as Pixel devices. These products support activities including internet search, digital content distribution, mobile computing, online communications and advertising.

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