Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Position Lowered by Aristotle Capital Management LLC

Aristotle Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 4.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,130,659 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 233,241 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up 3.1% of Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $1,471,802,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Alliance LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 5.0% during the first quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 16,749 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $4,805,000 after purchasing an additional 792 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet by 51.0% in the first quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC now owns 29,000 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $8,319,000 after buying an additional 9,800 shares during the last quarter. Sentinel Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the first quarter valued at $330,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in Alphabet by 23.9% in the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,973,424 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $566,096,000 after buying an additional 381,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 96.9% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 201,002 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $57,660,000 after buying an additional 98,921 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet reported a strong second quarter, with revenue up 24% year over year to $119.8 billion and earnings of $9.11 per share, well above estimates. Google Cloud growth, reported at approximately 82%, and continued strength in Search and YouTube reinforced the company’s AI monetization story. Alphabet Stock Is Gaining Monday: What’s Going On?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and portfolio managers largely continue to support Alphabet’s long-term outlook. Bullish arguments point to enterprise AI adoption, a roughly $514 billion Cloud backlog, improving Cloud margins and early evidence that AI features can strengthen Search and other services. Berkshire Hathaway’s substantial Alphabet position also provides a notable vote of confidence. Alphabet Q2 Strength Reinforces the Bullish Case
• Positive Sentiment: YouTube reached a multiyear agreement with NBCUniversal to include Peacock content for U.S. YouTube Premium subscribers beginning in 2027. The deal could improve subscription value, engagement and YouTube’s competitive position in streaming. NBCUniversal and YouTube Ink Peacock Deal

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total transaction of $3,142,911.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 75,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,298,044.10. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 159,415 shares of company stock valued at $7,672,279 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Up 2.3%

GOOG opened at $326.57 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $359.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $337.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a current ratio of 2.72. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $188.70 and a one year high of $404.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 16.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.23.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced 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 $2.87 by $6.24. The firm 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%.The business’s revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 17.25 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 4.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $475.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Phillip Securities cut Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $420.00 price target (down from $435.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $379.00 price target (down from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $410.09.

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.