VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Boosts Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its Alphabet stake by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 55,600 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 1,047,100 shares worth about $328.6 million.
• Alphabet reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $5.11 versus the $2.68 consensus and revenue of $109.9 billion, up 21.8% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on GOOG, with a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $372.65. Recent commentary also highlights Alphabet’s AI push, while Waymo-related safety pauses have raised some execution concerns.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,047,100 shares of the information services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 55,600 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up approximately 2.0% of VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings in Alphabet were worth $328,580,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Towne Trust Company N.A increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 29.0% in the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 258 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of GOOG stock opened at $383.47 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.25. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $404.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92. The business has a 50-day moving average of $334.12 and a 200 day moving average of $320.40.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.81 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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 company also recently announced 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. 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 is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.41%.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total value of $10,006,425.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,642,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,573,853.40. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.41, for a total transaction of $318,580.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,631 shares in the company, valued at $1,405,091.71. This represents a 18.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on GOOG. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Alphabet from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $372.65.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet unveiled a broad AI push at Google I/O, including new Gemini models, AI agents, smarter search tools, and new ad formats, which analysts say could lift monetization in Search and Cloud. Alphabet showcases new AI models and agent tools at Google I/O 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America and other Wall Street firms reiterated bullish ratings and raised price targets after the I/O event, reinforcing the view that Alphabet’s AI strategy can support earnings growth. Bank of America Pounds the Table on Alphabet Stock (GOOGL) after Developer Conference
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet raised ¥576.9 billion through a multi-tranche yen note offering, giving it additional capital flexibility to fund AI infrastructure and data-center expansion. Alphabet Raises ¥576.9B Through Multi-Tranche Yen Notes
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted Alphabet’s growing role in AI infrastructure, cloud computing, and even smart glasses, which supports the long-term thesis that the company is expanding beyond search. Alphabet's new AI ad formats seen boosting conversions and spending
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles discussed Google’s push into AI agents and AI-generated ads, but some commentary noted the strategy is still being tested with consumers and may take time to prove out at scale. Google is pitching an AI agent ecosystem to consumers who may not buy it
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet continues to receive strong analyst support and is trading near highs, but some market commentary suggests the stock may already reflect much of the recent AI optimism. Alphabet Trades Close to 52-Week High: Buy, Sell, or Hold the Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Waymo paused freeway rides and suspended or reduced service in several cities after robotaxis struggled with construction zones and flooded roads, raising execution and safety concerns within Alphabet’s autonomous driving unit. Waymo suspends freeway rides, pauses Atlanta operations amid safety fixes
• Negative Sentiment: Separate reports that Waymo expanded pauses to more cities over flooding issues added to concerns that the robotaxi rollout may face longer delays and higher remediation costs. Waymo expands pause to four cities as robotaxis keep driving into floods

Alphabet 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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