Noked Israel Ltd acquired a new stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Free Report) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 186,380 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $58,486,000. Alphabet makes up approximately 9.4% of Noked Israel Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Towne Trust Company N.A increased its holdings 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.
Alphabet Stock Up 0.4%
Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $358.16 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $404.47. The stock has a market cap of $4.34 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.22. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $357.71 and a 200 day moving average of $329.44.
Alphabet Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.71%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of research firms have recently commented on GOOG. DZ Bank raised shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Phillip Securities cut shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $376.78.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Alphabet
Alphabet News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s drone-delivery unit Wing expanded into seven more U.S. cities with Walmart, reinforcing that its Other Bets can scale into real businesses and may be more valuable than the market gives them credit for.
- Positive Sentiment: Waymo launched a $29.99 monthly membership program, adding a recurring-revenue layer to its robotaxi business and highlighting rapid growth in paid rides, which investors may see as a meaningful long-term opportunity.
- Positive Sentiment: Several analyst and commentary pieces remain constructive on Alphabet’s AI, cloud, and search setup, with some calling it an AI powerhouse and lifting price targets, which supports the stock’s bullish narrative.
- Positive Sentiment: Google is also expanding its real-estate listings nationwide and continuing to deepen its AI infrastructure and chip strategy, reinforcing multiple growth avenues beyond search advertising.
- Neutral Sentiment: Google filed suit against an alleged Chinese cybercrime group that used AI to scam victims, a move that shows the company is actively defending its platforms, though the stock impact is likely limited unless the issue escalates.
- Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet declined a $2 billion U.S. quantum-computing funding program, saying the terms could slow development; that may be viewed as a strategic choice rather than a major financial event.
- Neutral Sentiment: News that some billionaire investors sold Alphabet in Q1 while others bought more adds to the debate, but it does not change the underlying business fundamentals by itself.
- Negative Sentiment: Some recent coverage continues to focus on worries about rising capital expenditures and AI monetization, which can pressure sentiment if investors fear Alphabet’s AI spending will take longer to pay off.
- Negative Sentiment: Alphabet’s AI Overview feature has also faced renewed controversy, adding another small overhang around search quality and user trust.
Insider Activity at Alphabet
In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $381.00, for a total transaction of $38,862.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,132,701. This represents a 0.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $2,481,078.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,808 shares in the company, valued at $14,293,309.12. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 193,016 shares of company stock worth $17,282,549 in the last 90 days. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.
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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