Alphabet Inc. $GOOG is Osterweis Capital Management Inc.’s Largest Position

Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 322,182 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 4,976 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 5.4% of Osterweis Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Osterweis Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $113,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Alphabet’s outlook. Citizens analyst Andrew Boone expects the stock to reach a new all-time high over the next year, while recent GOOG targets have a median of $455, well above recent trading levels. Wall Street analyst sets Google price target
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s record cloud growth, Gemini development and expanding AI infrastructure continue to support the bullish case. Investors are debating whether the company’s large AI spending program will produce durable growth, but some analysts view the recent pullback as an opportunity. One Mag 7 stock to watch
• Positive Sentiment: Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms received regulatory approval for an Indian IPO, potentially creating value for Alphabet’s investment and increasing visibility into one of its strategic holdings. Jio Platforms receives IPO approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Frances Arnold sold 82 shares for approximately $27,700, reducing her position by only 0.43%. The small transaction is unlikely to materially change Alphabet’s investment outlook, though broader insider activity has consisted entirely of sales during the past six months. Alphabet SEC insider filing
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are increasingly concerned that Meta’s AI-powered advertising products could challenge Google Search’s advertising dominance. OpenAI’s reported $1 billion advertising run rate adds to fears that competition for digital-ad budgets is intensifying. Bernstein warns on Meta competition
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory pressure remains a major overhang. Google avoided a potential European penalty by changing search rules, while a £260 million U.K. app-store settlement adds another direct cost and highlights continuing scrutiny of its business practices. Google changes European search rules
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet’s aggressive AI capital expenditures are raising concerns about free-cash-flow pressure and future margins, particularly as investors compare its spending strategy with Amazon’s. Alphabet and Amazon AI capital spending
• Negative Sentiment: Google Maps’ decision to display “Lake America” for U.S. users has triggered backlash in Canada, creating reputational and political risk, although the immediate financial impact appears limited. Google Maps Lake America controversy

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GOOG shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $420.00 target price (down from $435.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $379.00 price target (down from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price target (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $430.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $415.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 196,931 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.46, for a total value of $3,832,277.26. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $387,061.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $545,941.03. This trade represents a 41.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 451,925 shares of company stock valued at $12,371,544. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $335.41 on Tuesday. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.96 and a 1-year high of $404.47. The company has a market capitalization of $4.10 trillion, a PE ratio of 16.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.64. The business has a 50-day moving average of $347.52 and a 200-day moving average of $340.20.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. The business had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The company’s revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.31 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

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.