Balentine LLC Has $2.26 Million Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Balentine LLC increased its Alphabet stake by 89.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 3,412 more shares to bring its total holdings to 7,215 shares valued at about $2.26 million.
• Alphabet continues to attract broad institutional and analyst support, with hedge funds largely adding to positions and analysts maintaining a Buy consensus and average price target of $362.73.
• The company reported strong Q1 results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, and it also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21.

Balentine LLC grew its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 89.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,215 shares of the information services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,412 shares during the quarter. Balentine LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $2,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GOOG. Tradewinds LLC. increased its position in Alphabet by 2,134.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 45,098 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $10,984,000 after acquiring an additional 43,080 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 29,896 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $9,381,000 after purchasing an additional 2,341 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 354,529 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $86,345,000 after purchasing an additional 84,553 shares during the last quarter. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 221,391 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $53,920,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Alphabet by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 60,739 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $19,060,000 after acquiring an additional 4,239 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on GOOG shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. KeyCorp set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 target price on shares of Alphabet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $362.73.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.65, for a total value of $348,232.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,581 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,187,638.65. This represents a 22.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were 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 directly owned 13,227 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,987,279.15. This represents a 78.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 158,553 shares of company stock worth $47,951,856. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alphabet Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $383.82 on Wednesday. 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 market cap of $4.65 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.28, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.25. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $157.58 and a 12 month high of $398.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $321.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $314.45.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.81 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This is an increase from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's payout ratio is currently 6.41%.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google is leaning harder into AI across Android, unveiling Gemini-powered features that can handle more multi-step tasks, plus new “Googlebooks” AI-native laptops and other ecosystem upgrades. That reinforces Alphabet’s AI growth narrative and could help drive more usage across Search, Android, and Chrome. Everything Google announced at its Android Show, from Googlebooks to vibe-coded widgets
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is reportedly in advanced talks with SpaceX to explore orbital data centers, a potentially ambitious expansion of its cloud and AI infrastructure strategy. Investors appear to be reading this as another signal that Google is pushing aggressively to stay ahead in next-generation compute. SpaceX, Google in Talks to Explore Data Centers in Orbit
• Positive Sentiment: Google also expanded its commerce ecosystem by integrating Affirm pay-over-time options into Gemini and Search via Google Pay, which could improve conversion rates and strengthen monetization in AI-driven shopping. Affirm Brings Pay-Over-Time Options to Google AI Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet continues to benefit from strong analyst sentiment after its latest quarter, with multiple buy ratings and price targets clustered above current levels, reflecting confidence in cloud growth and AI monetization. Alphabet Stock (GOOG) Opinions on SpaceX Orbital Data Centers Talks
• Neutral Sentiment: Google’s Threat Intelligence Group said it thwarted an AI-enabled hacking effort, highlighting both its cybersecurity capabilities and the growing risk of AI-powered attacks. The news is important operationally, but its stock impact is likely limited unless it leads to broader enterprise-security adoption. Hackers pushing innovation in AI-enabled hacking operations, Google says
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet is planning to tap debt markets, including a possible first yen bond sale, to fund its heavy AI infrastructure spending. That supports long-term growth ambitions, but it also raises near-term questions about capex intensity and returns on investment. Alphabet considers first yen bond sale to fund AI goals
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported that Google offered changes to its spam policy in an effort to avoid an EU antitrust fine. While not necessarily a major financial hit, the development keeps regulatory pressure on Alphabet in focus. Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOG) Google Offers Spam Policy Changes to Avert EU Antitrust Fine, Reuters Reports

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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