Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. Acquires Shares of 31,429 Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. opened a new position in Alphabet during the fourth quarter, buying 31,429 shares valued at about $9.86 million. Alphabet now represents roughly 3.2% of the fund’s portfolio and is its 13th-largest holding.
• Alphabet continues to see strong institutional interest, with hedge funds and other investors owning 27.26% of the stock. At the same time, insiders have been selling shares, including notable sales by John Kent Walker and John L. Hennessy.
• The company recently posted better-than-expected earnings, with Q1 EPS of $5.11 on revenue of $109.9 billion, and it also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share. Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with a consensus rating of “Buy” and a price target around $372.65.

Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. bought a new stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 31,429 shares of the information services provider's stock, valued at approximately $9,862,000. Alphabet makes up approximately 3.2% of Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ring Mountain Capital LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. lifted its stake in Alphabet by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 919 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,294,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total transaction of $2,481,078.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,808 shares in the company, valued at $14,293,309.12. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $393.26, for a total value of $412,923.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,531 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $995,341.06. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GOOG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $395.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $348.00 target price (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $372.65.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud delivered a standout Q1 result, with revenue up 63% to $20 billion, margin reaching 32.9%, and backlog rising to $462 billion. That reinforces Alphabet’s growing second engine beyond search and supports the bull case for further upside. GOOGL Rides on Surging Google Cloud Demand: More Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud is also getting validation from new enterprise partnerships, including EQT’s rollout to help more than 300 portfolio companies adopt AI using Google Cloud tools. Private equity firm EQT partners with Google Cloud for AI rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo news continues to suggest Alphabet’s autonomous-driving business may be undervalued, with the new Ojai robotaxi designed to lower fleet costs and expand capacity. That strengthens the long-term optionality in Alphabet’s non-advertising businesses. Waymo opens Ojai robotaxis to select riders as company aims to lower cost of fleet
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer was supportive, calling Alphabet a “crucial position” and saying “there’s a lot to like here,” which can help reinforce bullish sentiment among retail investors. Jim Cramer on Alphabet: “There’s a Lot to Like Here”
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares were also mentioned in analyst-style and market commentary framing Alphabet as a core AI and cloud beneficiary, but these pieces were largely reiterations rather than new catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: An Indian court ruling on keyword ads could increase trademark and legal risk for Google’s search advertising business, raising concerns about a core profit driver. Indian court ruling on Google keyword ads could reshape online advertising
• Negative Sentiment: News that a Google engineer was charged in a $1.2 million Polymarket insider-trading case may create a modest reputational overhang, even though it is not a direct business or financial issue for Alphabet. US charges Google engineer with insider trading on Polymarket

Alphabet Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of GOOG stock opened at $376.43 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 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 business's 50 day moving average is $343.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $324.30. The company has a market cap of $4.56 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.25.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 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 $106.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.81 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

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

Alphabet 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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