Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Cambridge Investment Research Advisors increased its Alphabet stake by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 7,363 more shares and bringing its total to 960,470 shares valued at about $301.4 million.
• Alphabet continues to attract heavy institutional ownership, with firms like Vanguard and JPMorgan also adding to their positions; overall, 27.26% of the stock is held by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• Recent insider activity was mixed but leaned negative, as executives and major shareholders sold shares over the last 90 days; meanwhile, analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus Buy rating and a target price of $372.65.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 960,470 shares of the information services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,363 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up 0.8% of Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $301,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Alphabet by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $132,114,125,000 after purchasing an additional 8,128,234 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Alphabet by 8.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,529,742 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $24,240,469,000 after purchasing an additional 7,904,434 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in Alphabet by 5.8% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 40,032,291 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $9,749,864,000 after purchasing an additional 2,209,203 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Alphabet by 0.7% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 32,583,332 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $7,935,671,000 after purchasing an additional 223,743 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its stake in Alphabet by 1.9% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 28,625,464 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $6,971,769,000 after purchasing an additional 539,679 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total transaction of $2,481,078.77. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 51,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,293,309.12. This represents a 14.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock worth $27,422,061 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

More Alphabet News

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

GOOG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. DZ Bank raised shares of Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $385.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Six 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $372.65.

Alphabet Price Performance

Alphabet stock opened at $379.38 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $337.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $321.78. The company has a market capitalization of $4.60 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.25. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $404.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $2.43. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.81 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This is an increase from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's payout ratio is currently 6.41%.

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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