Middleton & Co. Inc. MA cut its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 221,662 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 4,490 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 7.4% of Middleton & Co. Inc. MA's portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA's holdings in Alphabet were worth $69,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GOOGL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 110,330 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $20,886,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,930 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $2,826,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 17.6% in the 2nd quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY now owns 3,888 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 485,486 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $85,557,000 after purchasing an additional 48,805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Bank boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 48,204 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $8,495,000 after purchasing an additional 3,120 shares in the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
GOOGL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Alphabet from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price objective on Alphabet from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Citizens Jmp raised their price objective on Alphabet from $385.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Alphabet from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on Alphabet from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $410.84.
Check Out Our Latest Report on GOOGL
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total value of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 13,227 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This represents a 78.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 955 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total value of $284,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,955,564. The trade was a 8.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 157,953 shares of company stock worth $47,767,818 in the last ninety days. 11.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Alphabet Stock Performance
Shares of GOOGL stock opened at $396.78 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.81 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $329.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $317.27. 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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $162.00 and a 52-week high of $403.70.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $2.47. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.98 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%. On average, equities analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS for the current year.
Alphabet Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This is a positive change from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's payout ratio is currently 6.41%.
Key Alphabet News
Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Loop Capital raised its price target on Alphabet to $490 and kept a buy rating, while Oppenheimer lifted its target to $445 with an outperform rating, reinforcing confidence in the company’s growth outlook. Loop Capital price target update Oppenheimer price target update
- Positive Sentiment: Several reports pointed to Alphabet’s AI momentum ahead of Google I/O, including growing customer adoption of Gemini Flash and expectations that the event will showcase more AI innovation. Business Insider on Gemini Flash adoption BofA note on Google I/O
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts also raised forward earnings estimates for Alphabet, suggesting continued confidence in monetization and profit growth. Alphabet earnings estimate update
- Positive Sentiment: Alphabet completed a record-breaking yen bond sale, giving it fresh funding capacity to expand AI infrastructure while diversifying its financing sources. Yen bond issuance article
- Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Alphabet’s YouTube revenue, the company’s role in AI infrastructure, and Bill Ackman’s continued interest in mega-cap tech adds to the positive narrative, but these items are more supportive context than direct catalysts. YouTube revenue article Bill Ackman Mag 7 article
- Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage highlighted Alphabet’s valuation and the broader crowding in AI/mega-cap tech, which could make the stock more vulnerable if sentiment cools. Valuation rerating article UBS crowding warning
- Negative Sentiment: A report that Google may cap new Gmail accounts at 5GB of free storage could be seen as a consumer-unfriendly move and a possible engagement risk if implemented broadly. Gmail storage cap article
- Negative Sentiment: There was also some concern around competition and execution in AI and adjacent hardware, including comparison pieces on Alphabet versus Nvidia and broader AI rivalry. AI competition article
About Alphabet
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Free Report)
Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google's core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.
Beyond Google's consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.
Further Reading
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