Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Position Reduced by Welch & Forbes LLC

Key Points

• Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its Alphabet stake by 1.2% in the first quarter, but it still held 1.17 million shares valued at about $336.3 million, making GOOG its third-largest position.
• Insider selling continued at Alphabet, with executive John Kent Walker and director Frances Arnold both selling shares; insiders sold 159,415 shares worth about $7.67 million over the last three months.
• Wall Street remains upbeat on Alphabet, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $381.09, while analysts highlighted ongoing AI, cloud, and earnings strength despite regulatory risks in Europe.

Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 1.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,172,363 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 14,503 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 4.3% of Welch & Forbes LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Welch & Forbes LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $336,304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,410 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 76.2% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,865,304 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $330,886,000 after purchasing an additional 806,681 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet in the second quarter valued at about $658,000. Financial Advisors Network Inc. raised its position in Alphabet by 7.7% in the second quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 7,945 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 10.7% during the second quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 37,310 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $6,618,000 after purchasing an additional 3,616 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total transaction of $3,142,911.42. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares in the company, valued at $26,298,044.10. This represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.28, for a total transaction of $39,343.36. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,615,656.24. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 159,415 shares of company stock valued at $7,672,279. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $416.00 target price on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. KeyCorp set a $445.00 price target on Alphabet in a report on Friday, July 10th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $381.09.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett said he personally initiated Berkshire Hathaway’s purchase of Alphabet, giving the stock a high-profile vote of confidence and reinforcing the view that GOOG remains attractive ahead of earnings. Warren Buffett tells CNBC he initiated Berkshire Hathaway's investment in Alphabet
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts and market articles said Alphabet’s AI-driven search, cloud growth, and improving earnings outlook could support another results beat, keeping investor sentiment constructive. Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s large clean-power purchase and ongoing AI infrastructure investment signal continued support for long-term cloud and AI expansion, which investors may view as a strength. Google's biggest clean power project is 40 miles north of xAI's unpermitted gas power plant
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet continues to receive favorable brokerage and valuation commentary, with some coverage highlighting strong AI monetization but noting the stock is already pricing in a lot of optimism. GOOGL Stock: Do AI Growth Drivers Justify the Premium Valuation?
• Negative Sentiment: The EU is preparing new fines against Google, adding to regulatory overhang and reminding investors that antitrust risk remains a key issue for the stock. EU Prepares to Fine Google as Part of Increased Big Tech Enforcement
• Negative Sentiment: Google also faced fresh scrutiny from Swiss regulators and new AI-related criticism and lawsuits, which could pressure sentiment around its core search and AI businesses. Google probed by Swiss regulator over Android default search feature

Alphabet Stock Up 3.6%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $370.21 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.50 and a 1 year high of $404.47. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $368.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $336.31. The firm has a market cap of $4.49 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.24, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.23.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 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 firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.81 earnings per share. Alphabet's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is an increase from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.71%.

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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