Lyell Wealth Management LP Reduces Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Lyell Wealth Management cut its Alphabet stake by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,965 shares and leaving it with 85,356 shares worth about $26.8 million.
• Insider selling also stood out: Alphabet insiders sold 193,016 shares worth about $17.3 million over the past three months, while insiders still own 12.99% of the company.
• Despite the selling, analysts remain broadly positive on Alphabet, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $376.78; the stock also rose 0.9% to $356.56, and the company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations.

Lyell Wealth Management LP decreased its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 7.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 85,356 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 6,965 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for approximately 1.9% of Lyell Wealth Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Lyell Wealth Management LP's holdings in Alphabet were worth $26,785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,410 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 76.2% during the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,865,304 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $330,886,000 after purchasing an additional 806,681 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 2nd quarter worth $658,000. Financial Advisors Network Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 7,945 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 37,310 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $6,618,000 after purchasing an additional 3,616 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of Alphabet 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 10,093 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,923,235.59. The trade was a 5.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 193,016 shares of company stock worth $17,282,549 in the last three months. Insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Alphabet from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Pivotal Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $470.00 price target (up from $420.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 price target on shares of Alphabet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $376.78.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.9%

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $356.56 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $4.32 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.22. The firm's 50 day moving average is $356.44 and its 200 day moving average is $329.24. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. Alphabet's revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.81 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. This is a positive change from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.71%.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet shareholders approved an expansion of the company’s stock plan and re-elected the board, a routine but shareholder-friendly governance update that signals continuity and support for management. Alphabet Shareholders Approve Stock Plan Expansion, Reelect Board
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, launched a $29.99 monthly “Premier” subscription and added perks like cash back and free cancellations, suggesting Alphabet is still pushing to monetize robotaxi demand in high-usage markets. Waymo launches premier subscription tier
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is expanding its AI footprint through new Google chip plans and continued infrastructure support for Anthropic, reinforcing the view that Google Cloud and its AI ecosystem could benefit from long-term demand. Google in talks with Samsung to make next-generation chips
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted bullish analyst and investor sentiment, including higher earnings estimates and Alphabet’s continued status as a favored large-cap AI name. Analyst estimate updates and AI-stock commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Google said it identified an active cyber extortion campaign targeting Oracle PeopleSoft users via a ShinyHunters exploit; the issue appears to be a threat-intelligence update rather than a direct breach of Alphabet systems. Google says ShinyHunters hackers targeting education sector via Oracle exploit
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s Gemini and AI Overview products drew more scrutiny, including reports of search/AI controversy and temporary Workspace AI errors, which may keep debate alive around product quality and AI monetization. Google Stock Drops as AI Overview Faces Fresh Controversy
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains centered on heavy capex and how quickly Alphabet can turn AI spending into durable revenue, especially as some commentary questioned search monetization and data-center economics. Alphabet Stock Opinions on Capital Raise and AI Challenges
• Negative Sentiment: A California judge denied a new trial in the youth social media addiction case involving YouTube, leaving Alphabet exposed to ongoing legal and reputational risk. Meta and Google denied new trial after landmark verdict

About Alphabet

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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