Sapient Capital LLC Cuts Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Sapient Capital LLC trimmed its Alphabet stake by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,542 shares and leaving it with 141,568 shares valued at about $44.5 million.
• Alphabet reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting $5.11 EPS on $109.9 billion in revenue, both above analyst estimates, with revenue up 21.8% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21, while shares were up 1.4% and the stock continued to draw bullish analyst attention with a consensus “Buy” rating.

Sapient Capital LLC decreased its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 141,568 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 3,542 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $44,530,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GOOG. Passumpsic Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $275,000. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $50,955,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC now owns 15,907 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $4,992,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. Rossmore Private Capital boosted its position in Alphabet by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 93,114 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $29,219,000 after buying an additional 13,994 shares during the period. Finally, Abacus Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 174.7% during the 4th quarter. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 12,052 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $3,782,000 after buying an additional 7,665 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $384.84 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $404.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.66 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $338.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $322.49.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS 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 business had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.81 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.71%.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google used its Marketing Live event to roll out AI-powered ad products tied to Gemini, including conversational ads, smarter Shopping Ads, and checkout inside AI search results — a sign that Alphabet is turning its AI push into new revenue opportunities. Google Wants Ads to Talk Back in AI Search
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Alphabet’s strong AI and cloud momentum, including Google Cloud expansion, Gemini adoption, and a bullish outlook that sees the company benefiting from continued search and advertising strength. What Google Search's New AI Mode Means for B2B Discovery
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and analyst chatter continued to frame Alphabet as a leading AI beneficiary, with some price targets and forecasts implying meaningful upside from current levels. Is Most-Watched Stock Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Worth Betting on Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention remains elevated after Google I/O and the company’s AI overhaul, but some coverage warns that publishers could lose traffic as search becomes more AI-driven. Google Search AI Overhaul Leaves Publishers Bracing For ‘Google Zero'
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet faces fresh regulatory overhang after reports said the EU is preparing a record antitrust penalty over alleged search favoritism under the Digital Markets Act, which could pressure sentiment. EU plans to fine Google high triple-digit million euro sum, Handelsblatt reports
• Negative Sentiment: Some headlines also noted user pushback against Google’s AI Search changes and reports of DuckDuckGo gaining installs, suggesting potential concern about how users will react to the new search experience. DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being ‘force-fed' Google's AI Search

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on GOOG shares. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Phillip Securities cut shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Truist Financial set a $385.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $348.00 price target (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $372.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total transaction of $10,006,425.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,642,060 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $505,573,853.40. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock worth $27,422,061. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

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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