HS Management Partners LLC Lowers Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

HS Management Partners LLC decreased its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 16.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,093 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 11,925 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for about 7.3% of HS Management Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. HS Management Partners LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $21,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 38,409.2% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 179,836,276 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $5,643,262,000 after buying an additional 179,369,280 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 28,482.8% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 112,091,870 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $35,174,429,000 after buying an additional 111,699,704 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth approximately $18,093,665,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its position in Alphabet by 850.3% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 17,692,600 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $5,551,938,000 after buying an additional 15,830,754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Alphabet by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $132,114,125,000 after acquiring an additional 8,128,234 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GOOG has been the subject of several analyst reports. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Alphabet from $375.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, August 14th. Wolfe Research set a $460.00 price target on Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $475.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Phillip Securities raised shares of Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $415.55.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of GOOG opened at $344.59 on Tuesday. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $205.95 and a 12-month high of $404.47. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $349.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $339.72. 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 $4.21 trillion, a PE ratio of 17.31, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.23.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $116.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.31 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total value of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 118,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.90, for a total transaction of $2,232,808.20. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 451,945 shares of company stock valued at $12,382,714 in the last quarter. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google is expanding Gemini’s commercial reach by allowing Wix users to create complete websites within Google’s AI assistant. The move could increase Gemini engagement and strengthen Alphabet’s position in generative AI applications. Google Is Turning Gemini Into a Website Builder
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud entered an enterprise AI partnership with Verizon, supporting Alphabet’s efforts to monetize AI infrastructure and services with large corporate customers. Alphabet’s Google Cloud Enters Enterprise AI Partnership With Verizon
• Positive Sentiment: Investment commentary remains constructive on Alphabet’s sustainable growth outlook, citing its competitive advantages, strong profitability, revenue momentum and expanding cloud business. Alphabet’s Sustainable Growth Outlook Appears Stronger Than Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Google reportedly plans to move all Pixel manufacturing out of China by 2027, shifting production toward Vietnam and India. The change could diversify supply chains and reduce geopolitical exposure, although transition costs remain possible. Google Plans to Move Pixel Manufacturing Out of China
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet was among the technology and social-media stocks showing strength, reflecting broader sector momentum rather than a company-specific catalyst. Social-Media Trade Splits
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are watching a recently announced Google agreement with Marvell, which could provide additional insight into Alphabet’s AI hardware and data-center requirements when Marvell reports earnings. Marvell Earnings and Google Agreement
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts flagged negative free cash flow as a concern because Alphabet’s AI leadership requires heavy spending on data centers, chips and infrastructure. A potential $25 billion bond offering and reported off-balance-sheet commitments are also prompting capital-allocation questions. Alphabet Opinions on AI Advancements and Bond Offering
• Negative Sentiment: A delay in the next Gemini Pro release could leave Alphabet without a new flagship model tier in the near term, raising concerns about AI product execution and competitive pressure. Gemini Pro Delay

About Alphabet

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.