Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Key Points

• Gateway Investment Advisers increased its Alphabet stake by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, holding 615,224 shares worth about $192.6 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• Alphabet reported strong Q1 results, with EPS of $5.11 versus the $2.64 consensus and revenue of $109.9 billion, topping estimates. Analysts now expect the company to earn 14.29 EPS for the year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21, while analysts remain broadly bullish with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $412.65.

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 615,224 shares of the information services provider's stock after buying an additional 11,440 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises about 1.8% of Gateway Investment Advisers LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $192,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of GOOGL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter worth $4,338,397,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Alphabet by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 528,969,322 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $165,567,398,000 after purchasing an additional 12,531,695 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its position in Alphabet by 28.0% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 53,107,572 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $12,910,542,000 after purchasing an additional 11,605,785 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Alphabet by 15.7% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 50,732,476 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $12,333,076,000 after purchasing an additional 6,874,381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Cayman LP boosted its position in Alphabet by 23,402.1% in the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP now owns 6,118,547 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,487,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,092,513 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOGL opened at $382.97 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.64 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.21, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.26. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $339.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $322.26. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $162.00 and a 1 year high of $408.61.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $2.47. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.98 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.00, for a total value of $37,842.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,621 shares in the company, valued at $6,908,391. The trade was a 0.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total value of $2,481,078.77. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 51,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,293,309.12. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061. 11.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on GOOGL shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Argus boosted their price objective on Alphabet from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Alphabet from $420.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Alphabet from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on Alphabet from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $412.65.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is being highlighted as a strong AI investment thanks to its vertically integrated AI stack and cloud growth, which some analysts say could help it compete effectively in the booming AI data center market.
• Positive Sentiment: Google rolled out new AI-powered ad products at Marketing Live, including Gemini-based ad formats and AI search checkout tools, which could expand ad monetization and strengthen its core advertising business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Alphabet may invest up to $190 billion by 2026 underscore its aggressive push into AI and infrastructure, signaling continued long-term spending to defend and grow its leadership position.
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage suggesting Alphabet has the tools to win the AI race and remains a top-ranked growth stock may be reinforcing investor confidence in the company’s earnings and strategic outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s Waymo unit faced service interruptions in some cities due to flooded roads and construction zones, a reminder that the autonomous driving business still has operational hurdles.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Google’s AI security challenges and its smart-glasses partnerships adds to the long-term innovation story, but these developments are not likely to move the stock immediately.
• Negative Sentiment: The European Union is reportedly preparing to fine Google a high triple-digit million-euro amount as part of an antitrust investigation, increasing regulatory risk for Alphabet’s core business and pressuring sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Google is also appealing a court ruling tied to its search monopoly, keeping antitrust uncertainty alive for investors focused on the durability of its search dominance.

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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