Polen Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Free Report) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,018,121 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 622,121 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 5.4% of Polen Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Polen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $1,260,887,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Manchester Financial Inc. grew its position in Alphabet by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. now owns 7,821 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,454,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. NDVR Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 19.0% during the 4th quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 4,004 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,256,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda America Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,617,000. Cowa LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $451,000. Finally, Xponance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 1,073,830 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $336,968,000 after acquiring an additional 24,976 shares during the period. 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 shareholders approved an expansion of the company’s stock plan and re-elected the board, a routine but shareholder-friendly governance update that signals continuity and support for management. Alphabet Shareholders Approve Stock Plan Expansion, Reelect Board
- Positive Sentiment: Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, launched a $29.99 monthly “Premier” subscription and added perks like cash back and free cancellations, suggesting Alphabet is still pushing to monetize robotaxi demand in high-usage markets. Waymo launches premier subscription tier
- Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is expanding its AI footprint through new Google chip plans and continued infrastructure support for Anthropic, reinforcing the view that Google Cloud and its AI ecosystem could benefit from long-term demand. Google in talks with Samsung to make next-generation chips
- Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted bullish analyst and investor sentiment, including higher earnings estimates and Alphabet’s continued status as a favored large-cap AI name. Analyst estimate updates and AI-stock commentary
- Neutral Sentiment: Google said it identified an active cyber extortion campaign targeting Oracle PeopleSoft users via a ShinyHunters exploit; the issue appears to be a threat-intelligence update rather than a direct breach of Alphabet systems. Google says ShinyHunters hackers targeting education sector via Oracle exploit
- Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s Gemini and AI Overview products drew more scrutiny, including reports of search/AI controversy and temporary Workspace AI errors, which may keep debate alive around product quality and AI monetization. Google Stock Drops as AI Overview Faces Fresh Controversy
- Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains centered on heavy capex and how quickly Alphabet can turn AI spending into durable revenue, especially as some commentary questioned search monetization and data-center economics. Alphabet Stock Opinions on Capital Raise and AI Challenges
- Negative Sentiment: A California judge denied a new trial in the youth social media addiction case involving YouTube, leaving Alphabet exposed to ongoing legal and reputational risk. Meta and Google denied new trial after landmark verdict
Insider Activity
Alphabet Stock Up 0.9%
GOOG opened at $356.56 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $356.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $329.24. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $404.47. The firm has a market cap of $4.32 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.20, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.81 earnings per share. Alphabet’s revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Alphabet Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This is an increase from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 6.71%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
GOOG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $348.00 price objective (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $376.78.
Read Our Latest Analysis on GOOG
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.
Featured Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Alphabet
- Microsoft Just Gave Investors 3 Dates They Can’t Afford to Ignore
- NVIDIA’s Outlook Gains Momentum: Stock Price to Follow
- The World Cup Is Coming—These 3 Stocks Could Cash In
- Spotify’s “North Star” Outlook Was Music to Investors Ears
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GOOG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Alphabet Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alphabet and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
