Rothschild Investment LLC Reduces Stake in Alphabet Inc.

Rothschild Investment LLC has decreased its ownership in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to reports from HoldingsChannel.com. After selling 1,449 shares during this period, the institution now holds 178,972 shares of the tech giant. Alphabet represents roughly 2.2% of Rothschild Investment LLC's overall portfolio, making it the firm's fourth largest holding. By the end of the last quarter, the value of Rothschild's stake in Alphabet stood at approximately $33,879,000.

In addition to Rothschild, several other institutional investors and hedge funds have been trading in Alphabet shares. For instance, Holistic Financial Partners enhanced its position in Alphabet by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. This brings their total shares to 3,641, worth $689,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares. Similarly, Wealthstream Advisors Inc. raised its investment by 17.5%, now owning 12,422 shares valued at $2,352,000 after purchasing 1,854 more shares. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC also increased its stake by 1.7%, owning 772,948 shares currently valued at $146,319,000 after adding 12,775 shares.

Moreover, IFP Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 11.9%, with a total of 135,448 shares worth $25,641,000, following an additional acquisition of 14,445 shares during the last quarter. Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC made significant gains too, growing their stake by 13.6%, now holding 396,032 shares valued at $74,969,000 after purchasing 47,415 shares. Presently, 40.03% of Alphabet's stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Insights

The stock has attracted attention from various analysts, resulting in multiple upgrades and ratings. Stifel Nicolaus has raised its target price on Alphabet shares from $200.00 to $225.00 while assigning a "buy" rating on January 13th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" assessment on February 5th. Meanwhile, The Goldman Sachs Group maintained a "buy" rating with a $210.00 price target in a report from December 12th.

Additionally, Wedbush enhanced its target for Alphabet shares from $210.00 to $220.00 and issued an "outperform" rating as of January 6th. Citigroup slightly adjusted its price target from $232.00 to $229.00, also maintaining a "buy" rating on February 5th. Overall, analyst ratings show that ten firms suggest holding the stock, 29 recommend buying, and four advocate for a strong buy. The average rating stands at a "Moderate Buy" with a target estimate of $210.62.

Insider Trading Updates

In related news, Alphabet's CAO, Amie Thuener O’toole, recently sold 1,374 shares on March 3rd at an average price of $173.47, totaling $238,347.78. Following this transaction, she owns 15,024 shares currently valued at about $2,606,213.28, marking a decrease of 8.38% in her stock holding. This transaction was disclosed via a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Additionally, Director Kavitark Ram Shriram sold 37,134 shares on December 10th at an average sale price of $185.02, resulting in a total of $6,870,532.68. After this sale, he retains 282,832 shares valued at roughly $52,329,576.64, reducing his stake by 11.61%. In the past three months, insiders have sold 134,316 shares worth about $25,062,887, with insiders holding 11.55% of the company's total stock.

Current Stock and Earnings Performance

As for its stock price, GOOGL opened at $173.86 on Monday, featuring a market capitalization of $2.12 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.60, and a PEG ratio of 1.34. The stock's fifty-day moving average price is $188.21, while its 200-day moving average price is $176.54. The company portrays healthy liquidity, with a current ratio and quick ratio both at 1.84, and a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Over the past year, Alphabet shares have reached a low of $134.00 and a high of $207.05.

In its latest quarterly earnings report released on February 4th, Alphabet reported earnings per share (EPS) of $2.15, beating analysts’ expected EPS of $2.12 by $0.03. Alphabet's return on equity was impressive at 32.49%, with a net margin of 28.60%. Predictions for the current fiscal year suggest earnings of around 8.9 EPS for Alphabet Inc.

Dividend Announcements

The company recently announced a quarterly dividend scheduled for March 17th. Shareholders on record by March 10th will receive a dividend of $0.20. The dividend will become payable to shareholders on March 10th, which signifies an annualized dividend of $0.80 and a yield of 0.46%. At present, the dividend payout ratio stands at 9.94%.

Company Overview

Alphabet Inc. is the parent company of Google and offers a wide array of products and services globally, including in North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond. It operates through several segments such as Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets. The Google Services unit encompasses various services like ads, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Play, Search, and YouTube.

Alphabet, Investment, Stock