Hills Bank & Trust Co lessened its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Free Report) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 117,883 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 1,956 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 2.2% of Hills Bank & Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $36,992,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Alphabet by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $132,114,125,000 after buying an additional 8,128,234 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Alphabet by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,529,742 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $24,240,469,000 after buying an additional 7,904,434 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Alphabet by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 40,032,291 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $9,749,864,000 after buying an additional 2,209,203 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in Alphabet by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 32,583,332 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $7,935,671,000 after buying an additional 223,743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Alphabet by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 28,625,464 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,971,769,000 after buying an additional 539,679 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.
Alphabet News Roundup
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
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
View Our Latest Stock Report on GOOG
Alphabet Price Performance
NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $379.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.60 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.94, a PEG ratio of 1.62 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $337.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $321.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92.
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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion during 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%.Alphabet’s revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.81 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS for the current year.
Alphabet Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This is a boost from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.41%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider owned 51,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,293,309.12. This represents a 14.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.41, for a total value of $318,580.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,631 shares in the company, valued at $1,405,091.71. This trade represents a 18.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 226,481 shares of company stock worth $27,422,061 over the last ninety days. Corporate 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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