Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Stock Holdings Decreased by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management cut its Alphabet stake by 13.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 1.32 million shares and leaving it with 8.61 million shares worth about $2.69 billion.
• Despite that sale, institutional ownership remains strong, with major holders like Vanguard and Capital World Investors increasing positions; overall institutions own 40.03% of Alphabet.
• Wall Street sentiment is upbeat: analysts lifted price targets across the board, and Alphabet recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates while also raising its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share.

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA decreased its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 13.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,607,869 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 1,317,541 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up 2.6% of Pictet Asset Management Holding SA's holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned 0.07% of Alphabet worth $2,694,296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GOOGL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,338,397,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Alphabet by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 528,969,322 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $165,567,398,000 after acquiring an additional 12,531,695 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in Alphabet by 28.0% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 53,107,572 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $12,910,542,000 after acquiring an additional 11,605,785 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Alphabet by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 50,732,476 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $12,333,076,000 after acquiring an additional 6,874,381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Cayman LP increased its holdings in Alphabet by 23,402.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP now owns 6,118,547 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,487,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,092,513 shares during the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on GOOGL shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $357.00 to $393.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $425.00 price target on shares of Alphabet and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. CICC Research lifted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $388.00 to $407.91 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, DZ Bank reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, February 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $410.84.

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOGL stock opened at $396.78 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $162.00 and a 12 month high of $403.70. 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 has a 50-day moving average price of $329.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $317.27. The stock has a market cap of $4.81 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.26.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.98 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.41%.

Insider Activity

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 955 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total value of $284,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This trade represents a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 157,953 shares of company stock worth $47,767,818 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 11.61% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

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

Alphabet Company Profile

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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