Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Bought by Nicolet Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Nicolet Advisory Services LLC increased its Alphabet stake by 43.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 33,704 shares worth about $11.2 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on GOOG remains positive, with five Strong Buy ratings, 29 Buy ratings, and an average consensus price target of $376.78.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $5.11 versus $2.68 expected and revenue of $109.9 billion, up 21.8% year over year; the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share.

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 43.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,704 shares of the information services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 10,156 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 0.8% of Nicolet Advisory Services LLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $11,214,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Towne Trust Company N.A increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GOOG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial set a $430.00 target price on Alphabet in a report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 target price on Alphabet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, June 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $376.78.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.63, for a total value of $178,701.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 10,093 shares in the company, valued at $2,923,235.59. This represents a 5.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $393.26, for a total value of $412,923.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,531 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $995,341.06. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 191,966 shares of company stock worth $16,963,968 over the last 90 days. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s drone-delivery unit Wing expanded into seven more U.S. cities with Walmart, reinforcing that its Other Bets can scale into real businesses and may be more valuable than the market gives them credit for.
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo launched a $29.99 monthly membership program, adding a recurring-revenue layer to its robotaxi business and highlighting rapid growth in paid rides, which investors may see as a meaningful long-term opportunity.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst and commentary pieces remain constructive on Alphabet’s AI, cloud, and search setup, with some calling it an AI powerhouse and lifting price targets, which supports the stock’s bullish narrative.
• Positive Sentiment: Google is also expanding its real-estate listings nationwide and continuing to deepen its AI infrastructure and chip strategy, reinforcing multiple growth avenues beyond search advertising.
• Neutral Sentiment: Google filed suit against an alleged Chinese cybercrime group that used AI to scam victims, a move that shows the company is actively defending its platforms, though the stock impact is likely limited unless the issue escalates.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet declined a $2 billion U.S. quantum-computing funding program, saying the terms could slow development; that may be viewed as a strategic choice rather than a major financial event.
• Neutral Sentiment: News that some billionaire investors sold Alphabet in Q1 while others bought more adds to the debate, but it does not change the underlying business fundamentals by itself.
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent coverage continues to focus on worries about rising capital expenditures and AI monetization, which can pressure sentiment if investors fear Alphabet’s AI spending will take longer to pay off.
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet’s AI Overview feature has also faced renewed controversy, adding another small overhang around search quality and user trust.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $358.16 on Monday. 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 $163.33 and a 1 year high of $404.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.34 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.32, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $357.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $329.52.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.81 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. 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 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.

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.