MUFG Securities EMEA plc Boosts Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

MUFG Securities EMEA plc raised its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 62.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 551,635 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 212,252 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises 2.0% of MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $173,103,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ring Mountain Capital LLC grew its holdings in Alphabet by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,174,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 919 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $361.17 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $351.67 and a 200 day moving average of $327.90. The company has a market capitalization of $4.38 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.55, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $404.47. 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) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.81 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share 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 given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This is a positive change from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 51,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,293,309.12. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 193,016 shares of company stock worth $17,282,549 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet continues to benefit from strong AI demand, including reports that Google may place a large chip order with Intel and that its Gemini AI efforts could generate meaningful recurring revenue. Analysts also reiterated bullish views, citing ongoing demand for AI infrastructure and capex. Intel shares soar on reported in-house chip deal with Alphabet
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s Waymo unit remains a competitive strength, with news that Waymo bought a large Arizona proving ground and broader coverage highlighting Waymo’s role in the growing robotaxi race. Waymo bought Apple’s self-driving car proving ground for $220M
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet also drew attention after Apple’s WWDC keynote referenced Google help for AI features, reinforcing Google’s role in major AI partnerships, though the direct stock impact is less clear. Apple partnering with Google and Nvidia for most advanced AI model
• Negative Sentiment: The main drag on the stock is concern that Alphabet is aggressively raising capital and ramping spending on AI infrastructure, which could pressure near-term margins and free cash flow. Market commentary also pointed to valuation worries after the company’s recent financing plans. What’s Going On With Alphabet Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks notes GOOG has been sliding even as the broader market rose, suggesting investors are rotating away from Alphabet amid ongoing uncertainty about AI spending intensity and execution. Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on GOOG shares. DZ Bank raised Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $348.00 price objective (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Truist Financial set a $430.00 price objective on Alphabet in a report on Monday, June 1st. Freedom Capital lowered Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $376.00.

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.