Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Bought by Fisher Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Fisher Asset Management increased its Alphabet stake by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, holding 1.72 million shares worth about $539.7 million after adding 8,761 shares.
• Alphabet’s latest quarter was strong, with EPS of $5.11 topping estimates by a wide margin and revenue rising 21.8% year over year to $109.9 billion.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on GOOG, with multiple analysts reiterating buy ratings and a consensus price target of $376, while Alphabet also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share.

Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,720,004 shares of the information services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,761 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $539,737,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Towne Trust Company N.A lifted its stake in Alphabet by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 29.0% during the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 258 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. DZ Bank raised shares of Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $435.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $376.00.

Alphabet Stock Down 0.8%

GOOG stock opened at $355.68 on Thursday. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $404.47. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $346.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $326.15. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $4.31 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.22.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.81 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.28 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend 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 currently 6.41%.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet expanded its collaboration with Google Cloud and Lovable in a multi-year deal, reinforcing demand for Google Cloud infrastructure and AI tools. Lovable Expands Collaboration With Google Cloud to Scale AI-Powered Software Creation
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports highlighted strong investor appetite for Alphabet’s AI expansion, including an upsized equity raise to $84.75 billion and Berkshire Hathaway’s planned $10 billion participation, which signals outside confidence in the company’s AI strategy. Alphabet to raise $84.75 billion in upsized equity offering to fund AI ambitions
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet said its Gemini AI app has reached 900 million users, underscoring momentum in its consumer AI products and supporting the long-term growth story. Alphabet’s Gemini AI App Surges to 900 Million Users
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive, with several firms reiterating buy ratings and price targets around the low-to-mid $400s, suggesting Wall Street still sees upside despite recent volatility. Google to See Variable Margins, Cloud Segment Growth Through 2028, UBS Says
• Negative Sentiment: UK regulators imposed new conduct requirements on Google Search, including letting publishers opt out of AI search features and model training, which could weaken the economics of AI Overviews and increase regulatory pressure. UK regulator enforces new competition requirements for Google search
• Negative Sentiment: Investors also appear uneasy about the scale of Alphabet’s AI spending plans, since the huge capital raise raises dilution concerns and suggests heavy infrastructure costs ahead. Alphabet plans to raise $80 billion to pay for AI buildout

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $393.26, for a total value of $412,923.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $995,341.06. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.63, for a total transaction of $178,701.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 10,093 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,923,235.59. This represents a 5.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 193,016 shares of company stock worth $17,282,549. 12.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GOOG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.