Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by Heritage Investors Management Corp

Key Points

• Heritage Investors Management Corp trimmed its Alphabet stake by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 10,577 shares and leaving it with 372,497 shares valued at about $116.9 million. Alphabet remains the fund’s fifth-largest holding, at 3.4% of the portfolio.
• Alphabet is still seeing strong institutional interest overall, with firms like Vanguard and JPMorgan increasing positions. Institutional investors now own 27.26% of the company, while insiders sold 226,481 shares over the last quarter.
• The company’s recent results and outlook remain solid: Alphabet beat earnings estimates, posted 21.8% year-over-year quarterly revenue growth, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $372.65.

Heritage Investors Management Corp lowered its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 372,497 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 10,577 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for 3.4% of Heritage Investors Management Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Heritage Investors Management Corp's holdings in Alphabet were worth $116,890,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GOOG. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $132,114,125,000 after acquiring an additional 8,128,234 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 8.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,529,742 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $24,240,469,000 after purchasing an additional 7,904,434 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter valued at approximately $678,198,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $869,781,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter valued at approximately $455,745,000. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.00, for a total value of $37,842.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,621 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,908,391. This trade represents a 0.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 2,531 shares in the company, valued at $995,341.06. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock worth $27,422,061. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud delivered a standout Q1 result, with revenue up 63% to $20 billion, margin reaching 32.9%, and backlog rising to $462 billion. That reinforces Alphabet’s growing second engine beyond search and supports the bull case for further upside. GOOGL Rides on Surging Google Cloud Demand: More Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud is also getting validation from new enterprise partnerships, including EQT’s rollout to help more than 300 portfolio companies adopt AI using Google Cloud tools. Private equity firm EQT partners with Google Cloud for AI rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo news continues to suggest Alphabet’s autonomous-driving business may be undervalued, with the new Ojai robotaxi designed to lower fleet costs and expand capacity. That strengthens the long-term optionality in Alphabet’s non-advertising businesses. Waymo opens Ojai robotaxis to select riders as company aims to lower cost of fleet
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer was supportive, calling Alphabet a “crucial position” and saying “there’s a lot to like here,” which can help reinforce bullish sentiment among retail investors. Jim Cramer on Alphabet: “There’s a Lot to Like Here”
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares were also mentioned in analyst-style and market commentary framing Alphabet as a core AI and cloud beneficiary, but these pieces were largely reiterations rather than new catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: An Indian court ruling on keyword ads could increase trademark and legal risk for Google’s search advertising business, raising concerns about a core profit driver. Indian court ruling on Google keyword ads could reshape online advertising
• Negative Sentiment: News that a Google engineer was charged in a $1.2 million Polymarket insider-trading case may create a modest reputational overhang, even though it is not a direct business or financial issue for Alphabet. US charges Google engineer with insider trading on Polymarket

Alphabet Stock Down 2.5%

GOOG stock opened at $376.43 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $404.47. The firm has a market cap of $4.56 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $343.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $324.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92.

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

Alphabet Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on GOOG. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 price target on Alphabet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Phillip Securities lowered Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $372.65.

Alphabet Company 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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