Value Investment Professionals LLC Takes $4.90 Million Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Value Investment Professionals LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 17,057 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,899,000. Alphabet makes up 2.3% of Value Investment Professionals LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A increased its holdings in Alphabet by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total value of $153,432.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 27,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,345,358.56. This represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the firm’s 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 160,465 shares of company stock worth $8,020,511. 12.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on GOOG shares. Freedom Capital cut Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Phillip Securities lowered shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial set a $430.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Pivotal Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price objective (up from $420.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $376.19.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous driving unit, said it plans to expand driverless rides to four more major cities this year, a sign that Alphabet’s self-driving business is scaling beyond its current markets. Waymo Plans to Expand Driverless Cars to 4 More Major Cities This Year
• Positive Sentiment: Google’s SynthID deepfake-detection system was used to debunk a high-profile AI-generated hoax image, highlighting the practical value of Alphabet’s AI safety tools. Google’s deepfake detector system used to debunk McConnell hoax pic
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles continued to frame Alphabet as a beneficiary of the AI infrastructure boom, with Google Cloud and AI demand seen as supporting revenue growth and long-term earnings power. 3 Top-Ranked Stocks Riding on Massive AI Infrastructure Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary has also remained constructive after strong recent earnings, with one analysis arguing Alphabet is on track to sustain “Rule of 40” type growth and healthy margins. Alphabet Stock: Locking In Long-Term Rule Of 40 Supremacy
• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway’s reported $10 billion private placement in Alphabet continued to draw attention and may support confidence in GOOG’s long-term value. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Successor, Greg Abel, Just Bought More of This Magnificent Tech Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market recap and valuation pieces discussed Alphabet alongside other mega-cap AI leaders, but these were mostly commentary rather than new business developments. Three Most Valuable Companies at $13 Trillion: Buy, Sell, or Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Trading-data articles highlighted recent weakness in GOOG, including heavier-than-broad-market selling and reports of significant insider selling over the past six months, which can weigh on sentiment. GOOGL stock is down 3% today. Here’s what we see in our data.

Alphabet Stock Performance

GOOG stock opened at $358.71 on Thursday. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $173.88 and a 1 year high of $404.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.35 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $369.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $334.74.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its 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 firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.81 EPS. Alphabet’s revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 8th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is presently 6.71%.

About Alphabet

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.