Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Holdings Lifted by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 11.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,181,946 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 718,053 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for about 1.1% of Principal Financial Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.06% of Alphabet worth $2,060,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 4.5% in the first quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 79,616 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $22,839,000 after buying an additional 3,461 shares during the last quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 11.3% during the first quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,993 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $858,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 4.6% during the first quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Cdkv Holdings LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Cdkv Holdings LLC now owns 2,112 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $606,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Vantage Point Financial LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 58.2% in the 1st quarter. Vantage Point Financial LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,934,000 after acquiring an additional 2,479 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $353.81 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.29 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $367.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $336.58. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $181.50 and a fifty-two week high of $404.47. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.81 EPS. Analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost 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 was Monday, June 8th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 6.71%.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total value of $3,142,911.42. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares in the company, valued at $26,298,044.10. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total value of $153,432.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,348 shares in the company, valued at $9,345,358.56. This represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 159,415 shares of company stock valued at $7,672,279 over the last three months. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains broadly bullish, with multiple firms reiterating buy/outperform ratings and several raising price targets, including Wedbush’s $445 target, signaling continued confidence in Alphabet’s long-term earnings power and AI/cloud growth. Finviz
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Alphabet could beat estimates on strong cloud growth and a larger-than-expected value from its Anthropic stake, which supports the bull case ahead of earnings. Proactive Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett publicly said he initiated Berkshire Hathaway’s Alphabet investment and called the stock more likely to be a winner, which adds a high-profile vote of confidence for investors. CNBC
• Positive Sentiment: Recent institutional filings show major investors like Berkshire Hathaway adding to GOOG/GOOGL positions, reinforcing long-term institutional support for the stock. Quiver Quantitative
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet continues rolling out AI-related product updates, including Google Vids avatar tools and new app integrations in AI Mode, which show product momentum but are unlikely to move the stock on their own. TechCrunch
• Neutral Sentiment: A new lobbying disclosure showed Alphabet spending on privacy, competition, and platform-bias issues, which is routine regulatory activity and not a direct earnings driver. Quiver Quantitative
• Negative Sentiment: The European Union ordered Google to open Android and search data to rival AI and search companies, a regulatory move that could weaken Alphabet’s competitive moat and increase compliance pressure. Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet is also facing fresh legal and investor scrutiny, including a securities-fraud investigation announcement and a report that its AI search tools may pose safety risks for children, both of which add headline risk. Business Wire
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling has been heavy, with no insider purchases in the last six months, which may weigh on sentiment even if the sales are not necessarily a fundamental red flag. Quiver Quantitative

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GOOG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $430.00 price target on Alphabet in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Phillip Securities downgraded Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 target price on Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Wedbush started coverage on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $445.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $383.44.

About Alphabet

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.