Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by Walter Public Investments Inc.

Walter Public Investments Inc. decreased its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 35.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 75,105 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 42,079 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises 5.2% of Walter Public Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $21,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A increased its stake in Alphabet by 34.0% during the fourth 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 period. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More 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 Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $358.71 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.35 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92. The business has a 50-day moving average of $369.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $334.74. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $173.88 and a 1 year high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The business had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.81 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This is an increase from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 8th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 6.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alphabet news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total transaction of $153,432.28. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,345,358.56. This trade represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 160,465 shares of company stock valued at $8,020,511 over the last three months. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alphabet has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $376.19.

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.