Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Stake Lowered by CI Investments Inc.

CI Investments Inc. cut its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 10.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,352,676 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 275,923 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up about 3.3% of CI Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. CI Investments Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $674,889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A increased its position in Alphabet by 34.0% in 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of GOOG opened at $319.09 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $188.70 and a twelve month high of $404.47. The company has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 16.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $360.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $337.38.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $116.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.31 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 17.25 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

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 of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.42%.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet posted a strong Q2 beat, with revenue and EPS coming in ahead of expectations, while Google Cloud revenue surged 82% and cloud margins improved sharply.
• Positive Sentiment: AI and product demand remain strong, with management saying AI usage is rising across Search, Cloud, and Gemini, supporting the long-term growth story.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts reiterated bullish views or raised targets, and multiple commentary pieces argued the stock looks attractive after the pullback.
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon signed a deal worth more than $1 billion with Google for dark fiber connectivity, adding another sign of infrastructure demand tied to Alphabet’s data-center buildout. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo is reportedly considering ending its Uber partnership, which could affect how quickly Alphabet’s robotaxi business scales, but the direct financial impact is still unclear. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet also disclosed a large SpaceX stake and saw some institutional holders trim positions, but these items are secondary to the main debate over AI spending and cash flow.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were unnerved by Alphabet’s higher CapEx guidance and negative free cash flow, which raised concerns that AI spending may be outpacing near-term returns.
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet was also hit by an EU antitrust fine of about $1 billion, adding another regulatory overhang. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Moody’s warned that the industry-wide AI buildout could threaten credit quality at Alphabet and other hyperscalers, reinforcing concerns about balance-sheet strain from heavy infrastructure investment. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total value of $3,142,911.42. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,298,044.10. This represents a 10.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the firm’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 value of $2,077,531.25. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 159,415 shares of company stock valued at $7,672,279 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GOOG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $475.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Friday, July 17th. DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Phillip Securities cut Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Alphabet from $460.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alphabet presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $410.09.

Alphabet 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.