Marathon Asset Management Ltd Sells 31,624 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Marathon Asset Management Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 56.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 24,692 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 31,624 shares during the period. Marathon Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $7,748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Towne Trust Company N.A lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1,438.5% in the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 200 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at about $79,000. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Truist Financial set a $385.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $372.65.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud delivered a standout Q1 result, with revenue up 63% to $20 billion, margin reaching 32.9%, and backlog rising to $462 billion. That reinforces Alphabet’s growing second engine beyond search and supports the bull case for further upside. GOOGL Rides on Surging Google Cloud Demand: More Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud is also getting validation from new enterprise partnerships, including EQT’s rollout to help more than 300 portfolio companies adopt AI using Google Cloud tools. Private equity firm EQT partners with Google Cloud for AI rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo news continues to suggest Alphabet’s autonomous-driving business may be undervalued, with the new Ojai robotaxi designed to lower fleet costs and expand capacity. That strengthens the long-term optionality in Alphabet’s non-advertising businesses. Waymo opens Ojai robotaxis to select riders as company aims to lower cost of fleet
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer was supportive, calling Alphabet a “crucial position” and saying “there’s a lot to like here,” which can help reinforce bullish sentiment among retail investors. Jim Cramer on Alphabet: “There’s a Lot to Like Here”
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares were also mentioned in analyst-style and market commentary framing Alphabet as a core AI and cloud beneficiary, but these pieces were largely reiterations rather than new catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: An Indian court ruling on keyword ads could increase trademark and legal risk for Google’s search advertising business, raising concerns about a core profit driver. Indian court ruling on Google keyword ads could reshape online advertising
• Negative Sentiment: News that a Google engineer was charged in a $1.2 million Polymarket insider-trading case may create a modest reputational overhang, even though it is not a direct business or financial issue for Alphabet. US charges Google engineer with insider trading on Polymarket

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $376.43 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.56 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $343.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $324.30. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $404.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.81 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 6.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 955 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total transaction of $284,590.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,955,564. This trade represents a 8.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.41, for a total transaction of $318,580.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,405,091.71. This trade represents a 18.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.