Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Position Cut by Washington Trust Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Washington Trust Advisors cut its Alphabet stake by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, though GOOG still ranks as its third-largest holding and makes up about 5.1% of its portfolio.
• Insider selling continued, with CAO Amie Thuener O'Toole and director John L. Hennessy both selling shares; over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 257,931 shares worth about $36.9 million.
• Alphabet recently beat earnings expectations with Q1 EPS of $5.11 on revenue of $109.9 billion, and it also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share.

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 213,543 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 4,709 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 5.1% of Washington Trust Advisors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $67,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Towne Trust Company N.A raised its position in Alphabet by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lynch Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth $61,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 955 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total value of $284,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,918 shares in the company, valued at $2,955,564. This represents a 8.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.41, for a total transaction of $318,580.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,405,091.71. The trade was a 18.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 257,931 shares of company stock valued at $36,886,538. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on GOOG shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Truist Financial set a $385.00 price objective on Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 price target on shares of Alphabet and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Freedom Capital cut shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $363.40.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are looking for major AI announcements at Google I/O, including Gemini upgrades, agentic commerce features, and TPU chip progress, which could reinforce Alphabet’s leadership in AI. Google I/O primer: Alphabet's AI showcase is its chance to wow Wall Street
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects broad AI product updates across Search, Chrome, and Android, supporting the view that Alphabet can keep monetizing AI across its core platforms. Google I/O preview: Bank of America expects major AI push across Search, Chrome, and Android
• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway reportedly increased its Alphabet position again, a high-profile signal that some large investors still see upside in the stock. Warren Buffett's Successor, Greg Abel, Just Sold 16 Stocks, but Piled Into an AI Titan That's Now a Top-5 Position for Berkshire Hathaway
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Alphabet’s strong fundamentals, including a powerful earnings beat, cloud backlog growth, and AI-driven efficiency gains, which have helped justify the rally. Alphabet: The $462B Backlog Crushed The Bear Case, But At 30x P/E I'm Trimming To Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple hedge fund and billionaire portfolio updates show mixed views on Alphabet, with some managers adding while others trimmed positions, which may limit the stock’s near-term reaction. Pershing Square trims Alphabet Class C stake by 5.85M shares
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet disclosed insider-like selling by a major shareholder, which can create slight pressure if investors interpret it as profit-taking after the recent run-up. SEC filing

Alphabet Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $393.11 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $329.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $318.18. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $404.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.76 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.99, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.25.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.81 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Alphabet's payout ratio is presently 6.41%.

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.

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