Westover Capital Advisors LLC Buys 3,537 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Westover Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,151 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,537 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises 4.9% of Westover Capital Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Westover Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $30,331,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Alphabet by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 238,977,259 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $85,403,303,000 after purchasing an additional 12,718,127 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in Alphabet by 4.6% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 33,203,350 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $11,865,809,000 after purchasing an additional 1,457,371 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Alphabet by 10.1% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 17,724,321 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,334,186,000 after purchasing an additional 1,631,721 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its position in Alphabet by 7.1% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 17,079,800 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $4,911,467,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Alphabet by 90.9% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 17,040,373 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $4,900,078,000 after buying an additional 8,112,680 shares during the period. 40.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of GOOGL opened at $278.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market cap of $3.41 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.21. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $270.70 and a 12 month high of $408.61. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $337.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $339.89.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The information services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.02 by ($0.90). Alphabet had a net margin of 50.03% and a return on equity of 46.63%. The company had revenue of $127.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $127.96 billion. Equities analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 7th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total transaction of $28,257.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 19,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,494,424.20. This trade represents a 0.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 247 shares of company stock worth $79,238. 11.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Yorkville Ives started coverage on Alphabet in a research note on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. KeyCorp reduced their price target on Alphabet from $410.00 to $385.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $417.00 to $371.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $412.51.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud and AI demand remain important growth drivers. Google Cloud revenue reportedly nearly doubled year over year to approximately $30.7 billion, while its backlog approached $561 billion. Analysts and bullish commentators argue that enterprise AI usage could eventually justify Alphabet’s infrastructure spending. Alphabet’s Cloud and AI outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Potential defense and cybersecurity contracts could diversify revenue. Alphabet is reportedly in preliminary discussions related to the Pentagon’s roughly $185 billion Golden Dome initiative. A finalized agreement could help monetize its AI infrastructure through sticky government and enterprise contracts, although no deal has been confirmed. Alphabet and Pentagon discussions
• Positive Sentiment: Debt-market demand suggests lenders remain confident in Alphabet. The company launched a roughly €6 billion bond sale, with reported orders substantially exceeding the amount offered. The financing provides additional capital for data centers, though it also highlights the scale of Alphabet’s spending needs. Alphabet bond sale
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors are divided. Some view the selloff as a valuation opportunity because Alphabet’s shares appear inexpensive relative to its growth potential, while others prefer to see evidence that AI spending is producing stronger cash returns.
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is pressuring cash flow. Capital expenditures on chips, data centers and related infrastructure reportedly pushed free cash flow negative by about $9.1 billion for a second consecutive quarter. Management also expects spending to remain elevated, raising concerns about returns on invested capital and the need for external financing. Alphabet AI spending concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Core search growth and quarterly profitability disappointed. Search revenue reportedly grew about 12% to approximately $63 billion, as AI-generated answers threaten traditional advertising and user clicks. Alphabet also reported quarterly EPS of $2.12 versus a $3.02 consensus estimate, reinforcing fears that AI may disrupt its highest-margin business before new revenue streams mature.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang has increased. Several law firms publicized securities class-action deadlines for investors who purchased Alphabet shares between May 19 and July 16, alleging undisclosed adverse information. The announcements may weigh on sentiment, although they do not establish liability. Alphabet securities lawsuit notice

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known for its Google subsidiary. Google operates a global internet-services business centered on online search, digital advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and a broad range of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools.

Google Cloud provides infrastructure, data analytics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and enterprise software services to businesses, governments, and other organizations. Alphabet also develops consumer hardware, including Pixel devices and products for connected homes, while investing in emerging businesses through its “Other Bets” segment, including autonomous transportation and life sciences initiatives.

Alphabet was established in 2015 as part of a corporate restructuring that made Google a subsidiary and provided a separate structure for its expanding portfolio of businesses.