Evanson Financial LLC Acquires New Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Evanson Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 145,926 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $51,560,000. Alphabet comprises 2.5% of Evanson Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management lifted its stake in Alphabet by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 275,943 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $86,596,000 after acquiring an additional 2,850 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Alphabet by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 60,739 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $19,060,000 after acquiring an additional 4,239 shares in the last quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Alphabet by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc. now owns 340,776 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $106,936,000 after purchasing an additional 3,378 shares during the period. Montchanin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the first quarter worth about $7,075,000. Finally, Robinhood Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $20,337,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $356.62 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $354.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $338.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a current ratio of 2.72. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $195.22 and a one year high of $404.47. The company has a market cap of $4.36 trillion, a PE ratio of 17.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.23.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $116.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.42%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 82 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.39, for a total transaction of $27,337.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,305,738.46. The trade was a 0.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 118,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.90, for a total transaction of $2,232,808.20. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 600,547 shares of company stock valued at $16,255,540 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp set a $445.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Roth Capital upped their target price on shares of Alphabet from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price target (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $410.09.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s planned 10-part bond offering of up to $25 billion was met with approximately $115 billion in investor orders, indicating strong confidence in the company’s credit quality and long-term AI strategy. The funds are intended to support data-center expansion and other infrastructure investments. Google’s AI Bond Sale Attracts $115 Billion of Orders
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud continues to benefit from strong AI demand, while AI lab Mirendil signed a multiyear, $100 million-plus agreement to obtain computing capacity from Google Cloud. Such contracts could help monetize Alphabet’s substantial AI infrastructure spending. Mirendil Inks $100M+ Google Cloud Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: The debt sale gives Alphabet additional flexibility to fund its roughly $205 billion AI infrastructure plan, but it also increases borrowing and raises questions about returns on capital. Strong demand for the bonds reduces near-term financing risk, although investors are likely to scrutinize spending discipline and future profitability. Alphabet Seeks Up to $25 Billion From Bond Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet is facing renewed concerns about its ability to lead in frontier AI after chief scientist Jeff Dean departed to launch a startup with other researchers, while DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis moved away from day-to-day management into a broader chief scientist role. The departures heighten fears of a talent drain and potential disruption to Gemini and other AI initiatives. Google Shakes Up AI Leadership
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary suggests Google Cloud’s commercial growth is competing for scarce computing resources and management attention with DeepMind’s longer-term AI research, adding execution risk as Alphabet attempts to scale both businesses. Alphabet’s Cloud Growth Straining Its Frontier AI Push

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.