Westwind Capital Has $19.25 Million Stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)

Westwind Capital increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 2.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 123,224 shares of the information services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,670 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 4.8% of Westwind Capital's holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Westwind Capital's holdings in Alphabet were worth $19,251,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 111.8% during the 1st quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 161 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alphabet Price Performance

NASDAQ:GOOG traded up $3.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $178.27. 73,956,281 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,984,165. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $142.66 and a 12 month high of $208.70. The company has a fifty day moving average of $167.82 and a 200 day moving average of $176.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a market cap of $2.16 trillion, a PE ratio of 19.87, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.01.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The information services provider reported $2.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.79. Alphabet had a net margin of 30.86% and a return on equity of 34.54%. The firm had revenue of $90.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $89.30 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. Alphabet's payout ratio is 9.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Rosenblatt Securities raised Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group dropped their target price on Alphabet from $209.00 to $173.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Citizens Jmp upgraded Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and six have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.38.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 673 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.33, for a total transaction of $104,537.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 15,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,377,014.99. This represents a 4.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.90, for a total value of $5,066,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,652,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $413,555,306.40. The trade was a 1.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 216,195 shares of company stock worth $35,764,898 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc offers various products and platforms in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets segments. The Google Services segment provides products and services, including ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Play, Search, and YouTube.