Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Stake Lowered by Act Two Investors LLC

Key Points

• Act Two Investors LLC trimmed its Alphabet stake by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, though the stock remains its largest holding and was still valued at about $79.8 million.
• Alphabet reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, with EPS of $5.11 versus estimates of $2.68 and revenue of $109.9 billion, up 21.8% from a year earlier.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21, while analysts overall still rate GOOG a Buy with an average target price of $376.

Act Two Investors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 254,199 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 3,857 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up about 13.6% of Act Two Investors LLC's holdings, making the stock its largest position. Act Two Investors LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $79,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GOOG. Ring Mountain Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. HRC Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Certior Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 919 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total value of $2,481,078.77. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 51,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,293,309.12. This trade represents a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 2,531 shares in the company, valued at $995,341.06. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 193,016 shares of company stock worth $17,282,549. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alphabet Stock Down 1.3%

NASDAQ GOOG opened at $361.17 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.38 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $404.47. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $351.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $327.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

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 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 firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.81 EPS. Alphabet's quarterly revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be given 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 an increase from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Freedom Capital cut Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. 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, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, April 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alphabet has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $376.00.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet continues to benefit from strong AI demand, including reports that Google may place a large chip order with Intel and that its Gemini AI efforts could generate meaningful recurring revenue. Analysts also reiterated bullish views, citing ongoing demand for AI infrastructure and capex. Intel shares soar on reported in-house chip deal with Alphabet
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s Waymo unit remains a competitive strength, with news that Waymo bought a large Arizona proving ground and broader coverage highlighting Waymo’s role in the growing robotaxi race. Waymo bought Apple's self-driving car proving ground for $220M
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet also drew attention after Apple’s WWDC keynote referenced Google help for AI features, reinforcing Google’s role in major AI partnerships, though the direct stock impact is less clear. Apple partnering with Google and Nvidia for most advanced AI model
• Negative Sentiment: The main drag on the stock is concern that Alphabet is aggressively raising capital and ramping spending on AI infrastructure, which could pressure near-term margins and free cash flow. Market commentary also pointed to valuation worries after the company’s recent financing plans. What's Going On With Alphabet Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks notes GOOG has been sliding even as the broader market rose, suggesting investors are rotating away from Alphabet amid ongoing uncertainty about AI spending intensity and execution. Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note

Alphabet 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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