Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Purchases 3,352 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Van Hulzen Asset Management increased its Alphabet stake by 33.8% in the second quarter, purchasing 3,352 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 13,259 shares valued at approximately $4.69 million.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $9.11 per share versus the $2.87 analyst consensus and revenue of $119.8 billion, up 24.2% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $415.55. Alphabet also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, representing a 0.3% yield.

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 33.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,259 shares of the information services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,352 shares during the quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $4,685,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Alphabet during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $335.45 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $236.68 and a fifty-two week high of $404.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a current ratio of 2.72. The company has a market cap of $4.10 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.85, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.21. The business's 50 day moving average price is $344.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $341.64.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. The company had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.Alphabet's revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.31 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Alphabet from $375.00 to $350.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $379.00 target price (down from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $450.00 target price on Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on Alphabet from $430.00 to $420.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $415.55.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google completed its acquisition of AI-agent startup Mechanize in a deal reportedly valued at more than $1.5 billion. Mechanize’s former CEO and other employees have joined Google, strengthening Alphabet’s capabilities in autonomous AI agents. Google completes its deal for AI startup Mechanize
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is broadening Gemini’s commercial reach. Google Cloud launched Gemini Enterprise for Financial Services in preview, with Deutsche Bank as an early proving ground, while a new Accenture partnership will train up to 1,000 engineers to implement Gemini applications for enterprise customers. Google Cloud launches AI agents for banking
• Positive Sentiment: Google’s AI tools are gaining traction in media and creative software. Avid Technology said it is working with Google to accelerate creative workflows, while Gemini is increasingly being positioned as a competitor to Adobe’s tools. Google helps Avid accelerate the creative process with AI
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s planned €13 billion Finland AI infrastructure investment, supported by a long-term nuclear power agreement, could provide more predictable energy costs for data centers and strengthen Google Cloud and TPU capacity. Analysts also see TPU sales as a potential source of additional Cloud growth. Alphabet’s TPU sales could drive Google Cloud upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet faces a continuing securities-fraud investigation by the Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz. The announcement is an investor solicitation and does not establish wrongdoing, but it could add headline and litigation risk. Securities fraud investigation into Alphabet continues
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about Alphabet’s roughly $200 billion AI capital-spending plans, potential electricity and data-center costs, and competition from OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta. A proposed U.S. bill could also require large data-center operators such as Alphabet to absorb more power-infrastructure costs.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 82 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.71, for a total transaction of $27,692.22. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,995 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,414,801.45. This trade represents a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 451,925 shares of company stock valued at $12,371,544. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent company of Google. It was established in 2015 as part of a corporate restructuring intended to separate Google's core internet businesses from a collection of other ventures. Google remains Alphabet's largest business and serves users, advertisers, businesses and developers worldwide.

Google's principal products and services include its internet search engine, online advertising platforms, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and Google Photos.

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