Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC Sells 3,360 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors cut its Alphabet stake by 31.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,360 shares and leaving it with 7,387 shares valued at about $2.32 million.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $5.11 and revenue of $109.9 billion, both topping analyst estimates; revenue rose 21.8% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21, while analysts remain broadly bullish with an average rating of “Buy” and a target price of $372.65.

Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 31.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,387 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 3,360 shares during the quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $2,318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth approximately $245,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Alphabet by 63.2% during the fourth quarter. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,012,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares during the last quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC increased its stake in Alphabet by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 151,653 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $47,589,000 after acquiring an additional 15,569 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its stake in Alphabet by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 2,375 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $803,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Shakespeare Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth approximately $232,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $376.43 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $343.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $324.30. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.Alphabet's quarterly revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.81 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect 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 issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This is a positive change from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on GOOG. Truist Financial set a $385.00 target price on Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 target price on Alphabet and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating and set a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $372.65.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud delivered a standout Q1 result, with revenue up 63% to $20 billion, margin reaching 32.9%, and backlog rising to $462 billion. That reinforces Alphabet’s growing second engine beyond search and supports the bull case for further upside. GOOGL Rides on Surging Google Cloud Demand: More Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud is also getting validation from new enterprise partnerships, including EQT’s rollout to help more than 300 portfolio companies adopt AI using Google Cloud tools. Private equity firm EQT partners with Google Cloud for AI rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo news continues to suggest Alphabet’s autonomous-driving business may be undervalued, with the new Ojai robotaxi designed to lower fleet costs and expand capacity. That strengthens the long-term optionality in Alphabet’s non-advertising businesses. Waymo opens Ojai robotaxis to select riders as company aims to lower cost of fleet
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer was supportive, calling Alphabet a “crucial position” and saying “there’s a lot to like here,” which can help reinforce bullish sentiment among retail investors. Jim Cramer on Alphabet: “There’s a Lot to Like Here”
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares were also mentioned in analyst-style and market commentary framing Alphabet as a core AI and cloud beneficiary, but these pieces were largely reiterations rather than new catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: An Indian court ruling on keyword ads could increase trademark and legal risk for Google’s search advertising business, raising concerns about a core profit driver. Indian court ruling on Google keyword ads could reshape online advertising
• Negative Sentiment: News that a Google engineer was charged in a $1.2 million Polymarket insider-trading case may create a modest reputational overhang, even though it is not a direct business or financial issue for Alphabet. US charges Google engineer with insider trading on Polymarket

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $393.26, for a total value of $412,923.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $995,341.06. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.63, for a total value of $178,701.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 10,093 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,923,235.59. The trade was a 5.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

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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