Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Stake Decreased by Madison Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management LLC cut its Alphabet stake by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 70,631 shares. It still held 769,985 shares valued at about $241.6 million, making Alphabet its fourth-largest holding.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $5.11 versus estimates of $2.68 and revenue of $109.9 billion, up 21.8% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 from $0.21.
• The stock has drawn mostly bullish analyst support, with a consensus rating of “Buy” and a target price of $372.65. However, recent insider selling and mixed commentary around valuation add some caution.

Madison Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 8.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 769,985 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 70,631 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for approximately 2.8% of Madison Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Madison Asset Management LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $241,621,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Towne Trust Company N.A lifted its holdings 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 purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $383.47 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $404.47. The company has a market cap of $4.65 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.25, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company's 50-day moving average price is $334.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $320.40.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.81 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is a positive change from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.41%.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google I/O 2026 highlighted new AI products, smarter Search, Gemini upgrades, AI ad tools, and agentic features that could boost Alphabet’s monetization across ads, cloud, and consumer services.
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America, UBS and other analysts reiterated bullish views after the AI showcase, reinforcing confidence that Alphabet can turn AI adoption into revenue growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s new financing and infrastructure moves, including the yen note sale and Missouri data-center investment, support long-term AI capacity expansion.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet continues to receive mixed commentary around valuation and market expectations after a sharp rally, which may limit near-term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Waymo suspended freeway robotaxi rides and paused Atlanta operations while fixing safety issues in construction zones and flooded roads, creating headline risk for Alphabet.
• Negative Sentiment: Fresh insider selling by a director and additional regulatory/labor complaints in Europe add some short-term pressure and sentiment risk.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on GOOG. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $348.00 price objective (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $372.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total value of $2,481,078.77. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,293,309.12. This represents a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total transaction of $10,006,425.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,642,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,573,853.40. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061 in the last 90 days. 12.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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