Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by Washington Capital Management Inc.

Washington Capital Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 48.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,700 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 4,400 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises 1.2% of Washington Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Washington Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $1,475,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its stake in Alphabet by 34.0% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Lynch Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $395.30 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $153.83 and a one year high of $397.36. The company has a market cap of $4.78 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.15, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $317.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $311.59.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.81 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend 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 is presently 6.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.65, for a total value of $348,232.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,581 shares in the company, valued at $1,187,638.65. The trade was a 22.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.92, for a total value of $9,877,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,818,524 shares in the company, valued at $856,605,814.08. This represents a 1.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 158,553 shares of company stock worth $47,951,856. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on GOOG shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. KeyCorp set a $370.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $348.00 price target (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $362.73.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Big earnings and rally: Alphabet’s Q1 beat and the post‑earnings rally (AI‑driven ads, Cloud strength) remain the primary catalyst for the stock’s recent upside. Alphabet Stock Opinions on Q1 Earnings and Anthropic Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Anthropic cloud commitment: Reports of ~ $200B commitment to Google Cloud over five years materially boost Alphabet’s cloud backlog and long‑term revenue visibility. Alphabet Stock Surges on Massive $200B Anthropic Cloud Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: New consumer & subscription moves: Launches — Fitbit Air (screenless tracker) and a $9.99/month AI health coach — expand recurring revenue and health/AI monetization paths. Google's $9.99-per-month AI health coach launches May 19
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets: Multiple firms have raised targets (Mizuho, Citizens, others), supporting momentum and investor confidence. Mizuho elevates Alphabet’s forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Large funds (Swiss National Bank, Allen Investment, Fisher Asset) have added GOOG shares in recent filings — a supportive indicator of demand from big holders. Swiss National Bank Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Neutral Sentiment: Market‑cap chatter: Commentary that Alphabet may overtake Nvidia in market cap is fueling sentiment but is a function of momentum, not fundamentals alone. Alphabet is about to overtake Nvidia
• Neutral Sentiment: Price predictions & algorithms: Machine‑learning price forecasts and many bullish writeups add noise; use them cautiously vs. fundamentals. Machine learning algorithm predicts Google stock price
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk: Ongoing EU news‑search negotiations and a new UK antitrust lawsuit over display ads keep multibillion‑euro fines and remedies on the table — a material downside risk. Google moves to avert EU fines Google faces new UK lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Insider & fund trimming: Significant insider sales and several institutional reductions (Madison, Deutsche Bank, CalPERS, Cryder) create supply pressure and signal some profit‑taking. Insider selling & fund flows Cryder Capital cuts stake

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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