Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Position Lessened by iA Global Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management reduced its Alphabet stake by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, but still held 640,499 shares worth about $201 million, making GOOG its sixth-largest position.
• Alphabet’s latest quarter beat expectations, with EPS of $5.11 versus $2.68 estimated and revenue of $109.9 billion, up 21.8% year over year.
• The company is leaning harder into AI to drive growth, rolling out AI-powered ad products tied to Gemini, while also facing regulatory pressure from a reported EU antitrust fine and some user pushback over AI Search changes.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 640,499 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 17,365 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for approximately 2.6% of iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $200,989,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Guardian Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at about $767,000. Evergreen Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at about $556,000. Security National Bank raised its position in Alphabet by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Security National Bank now owns 6,873 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $2,157,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. May Hill Capital LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 107.3% during the fourth quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 17,678 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,547,000 after purchasing an additional 9,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hendley & Co. Inc. raised its position in Alphabet by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Hendley & Co. Inc. now owns 1,125 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google used its Marketing Live event to roll out AI-powered ad products tied to Gemini, including conversational ads, smarter Shopping Ads, and checkout inside AI search results — a sign that Alphabet is turning its AI push into new revenue opportunities. Google Wants Ads to Talk Back in AI Search
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Alphabet’s strong AI and cloud momentum, including Google Cloud expansion, Gemini adoption, and a bullish outlook that sees the company benefiting from continued search and advertising strength. What Google Search's New AI Mode Means for B2B Discovery
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and analyst chatter continued to frame Alphabet as a leading AI beneficiary, with some price targets and forecasts implying meaningful upside from current levels. Is Most-Watched Stock Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Worth Betting on Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention remains elevated after Google I/O and the company’s AI overhaul, but some coverage warns that publishers could lose traffic as search becomes more AI-driven. Google Search AI Overhaul Leaves Publishers Bracing For ‘Google Zero'
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet faces fresh regulatory overhang after reports said the EU is preparing a record antitrust penalty over alleged search favoritism under the Digital Markets Act, which could pressure sentiment. EU plans to fine Google high triple-digit million euro sum, Handelsblatt reports
• Negative Sentiment: Some headlines also noted user pushback against Google’s AI Search changes and reports of DuckDuckGo gaining installs, suggesting potential concern about how users will react to the new search experience. DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being ‘force-fed' Google's AI Search

Alphabet Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $384.84 on Wednesday. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $404.47. The company has a market cap of $4.66 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92. The stock's 50-day moving average is $338.73 and its 200 day moving average is $322.49.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The company had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.81 EPS. Alphabet's revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on GOOG. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price objective on Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Freedom Capital downgraded Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $372.65.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total value of $10,006,425.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,642,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,573,853.40. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 226,481 shares of company stock worth $27,422,061 over the last 90 days. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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