Wealthfront Advisers LLC Acquires 33,414 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its Alphabet stake by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, adding 33,414 shares to bring its total holding to 599,071 shares worth about $188 million.
• Alphabet reported a strong quarter, with earnings of $5.11 per share versus $2.68 expected 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 bullish on GOOG, with several firms reiterating buy-equivalent ratings and JPMorgan lifting its target to $460. The consensus rating is Buy, with a consensus price target of $362.73.

Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 599,071 shares of the information services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 33,414 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $187,988,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Towne Trust Company N.A grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lynch Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter worth approximately $61,000. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $397.05 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 $4.80 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.25. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $317.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $311.59. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.83 and a 12-month high of $398.37.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $2.43. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.81 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 14 EPS for the current fiscal 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 represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This is a positive change from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet's payout ratio is 6.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Six research 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $362.73.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.00, for a total value of $37,842.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,621 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,908,391. This trade represents a 0.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,581 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,187,638.65. The trade was a 22.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 158,553 shares of company stock worth $47,951,856. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

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

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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