Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Stake Reduced by Hikari Tsushin Inc.

Key Points

• Hikari Tsushin Inc. trimmed its Alphabet stake by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, but Alphabet still remained its second-largest holding at 11.7% of its portfolio, worth about $180.3 million.
• Alphabet reported strong first-quarter earnings, posting $5.11 EPS versus the $2.64 consensus estimate and revenue of $109.9 billion, beating expectations. Analysts now expect the company to earn 14.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21, while Wall Street sentiment remains constructive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $413.13.

Hikari Tsushin Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 575,922 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 11,926 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 11.7% of Hikari Tsushin Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Hikari Tsushin Inc.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $180,264,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GOOGL. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $416,217,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 887,209 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $277,696,000 after acquiring an additional 93,293 shares during the period. Retail Employees Superannuation Pty Ltd as trustee for Retail Employees Superannuation Trust bought a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,902,000. Private Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC now owns 24,717 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $7,736,000 after acquiring an additional 2,678 shares during the period. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 924,927 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $224,850,000 after acquiring an additional 72,235 shares during the period. 40.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $357.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.33 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.23. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $359.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $330.05. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $162.00 and a one year high of $408.61.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $2.47. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.98 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. Research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.3 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total transaction of $10,006,425.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,642,060 shares in the company, valued at $505,573,853.40. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 193,016 shares of company stock valued at $17,282,549. 11.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s Google is reportedly in talks with Samsung to manufacture part of its next-generation TPU chip, a sign it is deepening control over AI hardware supply and potentially improving long-term margins. Google in talks with Samsung to make next-generation chips, The Information reports
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo launched a $29.99 monthly premium subscription tier with perks like 10% cash back and free cancellations, showing Alphabet is working to turn autonomous driving into a recurring revenue business. Waymo launches a loyalty program with 10% cash back and free cancellations
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Alphabet, reinforcing confidence in the company’s profit outlook. Alphabet earnings estimate increases
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Alphabet as a long-term growth and AI beneficiary, with bullish commentary around cloud, Gemini, and the broader “agentic AI” opportunity. Alphabet: Now Is The Time To Raise Equity, Agentic AI Is Here (Rating Upgrade)
• Neutral Sentiment: Google said it identified an active Oracle PeopleSoft hacking campaign tied to ShinyHunters, which underscores cybersecurity concerns in the enterprise software ecosystem but is not a direct hit to Alphabet’s core business. Google says ShinyHunters hackers targeting education sector via Oracle exploit
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo also announced a national ad push and a broader effort to market its service, which may help growth but is too early to quantify. Waymo Readies First National Ads as Rivals and Critics Proliferate
• Negative Sentiment: A Google director resigned publicly over the company’s Pentagon-related AI work, adding reputational noise around governance and ethics. A Google director resigned over the company's military deals
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet also faced legal and product-related overhangs this week, including a denied retrial in the youth social media addiction case and reports of Gemini/Workspace service issues, which could weigh on sentiment. Update: Market Chatter: Google, Meta Platforms Denied New Trial in Youth Social Media Addiction Case by California Judge

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GOOGL shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. CICC Research lifted their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $388.00 to $407.91 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Arete Research lifted their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $405.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $415.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a "positive" rating and set a $460.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $413.13.

About Alphabet

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.

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