WealthPlan Investment Management LLC Sells 23,766 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• WealthPlan Investment Management cut its Alphabet stake by 20.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 23,766 shares and leaving it with 91,253 shares valued at about $28.6 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Alphabet, with an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $372.65, while some firms such as Needham and Piper Sandler issued higher targets.
• Alphabet’s latest quarter beat expectations, posting $5.11 EPS on $109.9 billion in revenue, and the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share.

WealthPlan Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 20.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 91,253 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 23,766 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 1.8% of WealthPlan Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $28,635,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $132,114,125,000 after acquiring an additional 8,128,234 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 8.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,529,742 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $24,240,469,000 after acquiring an additional 7,904,434 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $678,198,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth about $869,781,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter worth about $455,745,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on GOOG shares. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 price target on Alphabet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $345.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $348.00 price target (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $372.65.

Key Alphabet News

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

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $393.26, for a total value of $412,923.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,531 shares of the company's stock, valued at $995,341.06. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $379.38 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market cap of $4.60 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.25. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $404.47. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $337.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $321.78.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.Alphabet's quarterly revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.81 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This is an increase from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.41%.

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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