Barr E S & Co. Trims Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Barr E S & Co. trimmed its Alphabet stake by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, but the stock remains a major holding worth about $171.9 million and nearly 8.9% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Alphabet posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $5.11 beating estimates and revenue of $109.9 billion topping expectations, while year-over-year revenue rose 21.8%.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share, and analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Buy rating and an average target price of $372.65.

Barr E S & Co. reduced its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 547,808 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 24,085 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises 8.9% of Barr E S & Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Barr E S & Co.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $171,902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Towne Trust Company N.A grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1,438.5% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 200 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $79,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 955 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total value of $284,590.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,955,564. The trade was a 8.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the business'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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG stock opened at $379.38 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $337.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $321.78. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $404.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.60 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.94, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92.

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

Alphabet Increases Dividend

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

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet highlighted new AI-powered ad formats at Google Marketing Live, including Gemini-linked tools that could improve ad targeting, conversion rates, and monetization across search and shopping. Google rolls out AI-powered ad formats at Marketing Live
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also focusing on Google I/O takeaways that suggest stronger Gemini adoption and broader AI product momentum, which could help Alphabet defend its search and cloud businesses. Google I/O Key Takeaways: Gemini's Growth, Smart Glasses & Ties to Space Economy
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst-style articles argued that Alphabet’s AI ecosystem, cloud growth, and expanding Gemini usage make the stock look stronger over the long term. Google Made a Bigger AI Push with Gemini Spark. Alphabet (GOOG) Looks Stronger for It
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from investors and stock screeners continued to describe Alphabet as a high-quality growth name, but these pieces are more opinion-based than company-specific catalysts. ‘The Path Is Clear,’ Says Investor About Alphabet Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some media reports noted concerns from publishers that Google’s AI-driven search changes could reduce referral traffic, which is a longer-term industry risk rather than an immediate earnings issue. Google Search AI Overhaul Leaves Publishers Bracing For ‘Google Zero’
• Negative Sentiment: The EU fine report is the clearest negative catalyst: a large penalty would add to regulatory uncertainty and reinforce concerns that Alphabet’s search dominance is under pressure in Europe. EU plans to fine Google high triple-digit million euro sum, Handelsblatt reports
• Negative Sentiment: Google’s appeal of the U.S. search monopoly ruling keeps antitrust risks front and center for investors. Google Appeals Court Decision on Search Monopoly
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Stanley Druckenmiller dumped Alphabet may also weigh on sentiment, though this is more a signaling factor than a fundamental change. Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller Just Dumped Alphabet (Google) and Picked Up 2 Stocks That Are Direct Bets on Agentic AI

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on GOOG shares. DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $345.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $372.65.

Alphabet Company 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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