Vest Financial LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC increased its Alphabet stake by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, adding 3,369 shares to bring its total holdings to 64,057 shares worth about $20.1 million.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $5.11 per share and revenue of $109.9 billion, both above expectations and up 21.8% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus “Buy” rating and several price targets above the current stock price.

Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,057 shares of the information services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,369 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $20,101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Towne Trust Company N.A grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lynch Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $397.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92. The business's 50 day moving average price is $317.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $311.59. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $153.83 and a fifty-two week high of $398.37. The company has a market cap of $4.80 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.29, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.25.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. 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 return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.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 business posted $2.81 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 14 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. 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%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.41%.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s recent earnings strength continues to drive optimism, with analysts raising price targets and earnings estimates after a strong Q1 beat that showed faster growth in Search, Cloud, and YouTube. Investors are also reacting to broad bullish coverage and high-profile holders adding to GOOG exposure.
• Positive Sentiment: Google is expanding its AI monetization tools, unveiling AI-powered Search and Shopping bidding/budgeting features that could make ad spending more efficient and support ad revenue growth. Article: Google AI Automates Ad Bidding and Budget Pacing
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is also leaning into AI and consumer hardware, with new Fitbit Air and AI health-coach launches, plus continued work on smart glasses and broader agentic AI products. These developments reinforce the view that Google is becoming a major AI platform across ads, devices, and subscriptions.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reports point to continued institutional interest and analyst support, including fund additions and upgraded target prices, but these are largely reinforcement signals rather than immediate catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory overhang remains a concern after Google was given more time to address EU antitrust issues, and a new UK lawsuit over online display ads adds another legal challenge. Article: Google has bit more time to address concerns in EU investigation, EU Commission says
• Negative Sentiment: Google also settled a racial discrimination lawsuit for $50 million, which removes some uncertainty but highlights ongoing reputational and legal risks tied to employment practices. Article: Google settles racial discrimination lawsuit for $50 million

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on GOOG. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 target price on Alphabet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $362.73.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.65, for a total value of $348,232.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,581 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,187,638.65. This represents a 22.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was 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 owned 10,093 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,923,235.59. The trade was a 5.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 158,553 shares of company stock valued at $47,951,856. 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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