Aristotle Capital Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Aristotle Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 4.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,130,659 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 233,241 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises 3.1% of Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $1,471,802,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider owned 75,290 shares of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $387,061.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $545,941.03. The trade was a 41.49% 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 over the last quarter. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Phillip Securities lowered shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Alphabet from $460.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. KeyCorp set a $445.00 price objective on Alphabet in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $475.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $410.09.

Alphabet Price Performance

Alphabet stock opened at $326.57 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $359.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $337.61. The stock has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 16.40, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $188.70 and a 12-month high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $116.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines 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

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.