5 Trending Stocks That Have Investors’ Attention Today Includes Alphabet (GOOGL) in European Hot Water

The markets have displayed mixed sentiment on Wednesday amid a tumble in oil prices and expectations of European economic support from the European Central Bank. Among the important stocks to watch today are Lexmark International Inc (NYSE:LXK), Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Global Payments Inc (NYSE:GPN), Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE:TUP), and Nielsen N.V. Ordinary Shares (NYSE:NLSN). Let’s take a detailed look at the reasons behind the activity in these stocks today along with an analysis of how hedge funds have been trading them of late.

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Lexmark International Confirms Acquisition

Lexmark International Inc (NYSE:LXK)’s stock has surged by 10% this morning after the company announced that it has reached an agreement to be acquired by an investment consortium led by Apex Technology and PAG Asia Capital for $40.50 per share. Shares of the printing and content management company will no longer be traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange after the completion of the deal, which will take it private. In a statement, Paul Rooke, CEO of Lexmark International, said that the deal is in the best interests of shareholders. He also said that the company would invest in the hardware market in the Asia Pacific region to increase growth and business opportunities.

A total of 21 hedge funds out of those tracked by Insider Monkey held positions in Lexmark International Inc (NYSE:LXK) with a total value of approximately $432.4 million on December 31. David Cohen and Harold Levy’s Iridian Asset Management is one of the notable stakeholders among these hedge funds, with ownership of more than 5.96 million shares of the company.

Alphabet Inc Charged With Breach of EU Law

Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s stock has lost more than 0.26% this morning after European Union (EU) antitrust regulators officially charged the company over alleged abuse of its dominant position with the Android operating system. The statement of objections by the EU commission states that Alphabet puts difficult conditions on companies using its Android platform, which is a breach of EU competition law. Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has been given 12 weeks to respond. If the company is found guilty, it may be asked to change its practices along with being hit with heavy fines.

Overall, 154 hedge funds in our database held positions in Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s class A shares at the end of the fourth quarter, while 142 were long the company’s class C shares. Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management holds 973,292 class A shares of the company as of March 31.

We study the latest developments in three more of the day’s trending stocks on the next page.

Global Payments to Join the S&P 500 Index

Shares of Global Payments Inc (NYSE:GPN) have gained approximately 0.14% today after the S&P Dow Jones Indices said on Tuesday that the company will join the S&P 500 Index, replacing GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME) by the end of this week. The payment services company is also expected to announce the acquisition of Heartland Payment Systems on April 22. GameStop will replace Global Payments in the S&P Mid-Cap 400.

Out of the 785 hedge funds tracked by us, 28 funds held stakes in Global Payments Inc (NYSE:GPN) at the end of 2015 with a total value of approximately $398.9 million. Jim Simons’ Renaissance Technologies had one of the largest stakes in the company at hat time, of more than 1.14 million shares.

Earnings Report Sends Tupperware Down

Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE:TUP) has lost more than 5% today after the company announced its first quarter earnings results. The company’s profit declined to $45.9 million, or $0.91 per share compared to last year’s first quarter profit of $51.2 million, or $1.02 per share. GAAP net income surged to $43.4 million however, up from the year-ago period’s $29.5 million figure. Net sales for the first quarter were $525.7 million, down by 10% year-over-year. In a statement, Rick Goings, Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE:TUP)’s CEO, said that the company achieved strong performance in Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico, the U.S, and Canada. He pledged to strengthen the core of the company through sustainable growth and by expanding reach.

Overall, 18 hedge funds in our system held long positions in Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE:TUP) at the end of December, with Joe Huber’s Huber Capital owning 1.56 million shares of the company at that time.

Nielsen N.V Earnings Report 

Nielsen N.V. Ordinary Shares (NYSE:NLSN)’s stock has lost more than 2.5% after the company released its first quarter financial results this morning. The company revealed that its net income surged by more than 60% to $101 million year-over-year, with EPS checking in at $0.27. Nielsen’s revenue rose to $1.49 billion, which was in-line with the Street’s estimates. The company announced a set-top-box deal with DISH Network Corp (NASDAQ:DISH) earlier this month that will facilitate the company’s gathering of viewership data.

23 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held stakes in Nielsen N.V. Ordinary Shares (NYSE:NLSN) at the end of the fourth quarter with a total value of approximately $474.2 million. David Blood and Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management was one of the most notable shareholders of the company, with ownership of 1.60 million shares.

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