Stephens Inc. AR Has $102.94 Million Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR trimmed its Alphabet stake slightly in the fourth quarter, selling 6,089 shares and ending with 327,473 shares valued at about $102.94 million. Alphabet remained a meaningful holding, making up 1.3% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on GOOG, with analysts issuing mostly Buy and Strong Buy ratings and a consensus price target of $372.65. Several firms also raised or reaffirmed high targets in the $370 to $445 range.
• Alphabet posted strong quarterly results and raised its dividend, beating earnings and revenue estimates with $5.11 EPS on $109.9 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 21.8% year over year. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21.

Stephens Inc. AR decreased its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 327,473 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 6,089 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises 1.3% of Stephens Inc. AR's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Alphabet were worth $102,941,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Towne Trust Company N.A increased its holdings in Alphabet by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet by 1,438.5% in the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 200 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GOOG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price objective on Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Alphabet from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Freedom Capital downgraded Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $372.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was 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 directly owned 51,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,293,309.12. This represents a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of the 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 10,093 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,923,235.59. This represents a 5.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

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

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOG opened at $379.38 on Tuesday. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $404.47. 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 $4.60 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day moving average of $337.06 and a 200-day moving average of $321.78.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.81 earnings per share. Alphabet's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This is a positive change from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.41%.

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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