Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. trimmed its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 54.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 40,060 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 48,310 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $12,560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ring Mountain Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,437 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Accel Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Accel Wealth Management now owns 4,068 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Accelerate Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Accelerate Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,166 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $993,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.00, for a total value of $37,842.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,908,391. This trade represents a 0.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total value of $10,006,425.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,642,060 shares in the company, valued at $505,573,853.40. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 157,953 shares of company stock valued at $47,767,818 over the last three months. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alphabet Stock Performance

GOOG stock opened at $393.32 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $4.77 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.25. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $399.93. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $327.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $316.98.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The business’s revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.81 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 6.41%.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America and other analysts are expecting major Gemini AI announcements at Google I/O, which could reinforce Alphabet’s leadership in AI and support the stock. BofA Sends Blunt Message for Alphabet Investors Ahead of Google I/O
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target on Alphabet, and Erste Group also lifted earnings estimates, signaling stronger profit expectations ahead of Google I/O. Alphabet had its price target raised by Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc.
• Positive Sentiment: Several investors and funds, including Goldman Sachs and Egerton Capital, disclosed larger Alphabet stakes, suggesting continued institutional confidence. Fund Update: GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Google’s Gemini Flash model is quietly gaining AI customers and that Alphabet is expanding AI infrastructure point to improving enterprise demand for its AI products. Google has been quietly gaining AI customers, even before big releases next week
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet completed a record 576.5 billion yen bond offering to fund AI capex, showing it still has strong access to capital for its infrastructure buildout. Alphabet completes record-breaking yen bond issuance
• Neutral Sentiment: News that Google is in talks with SpaceX to launch data centers into space is intriguing, but it is still early-stage and speculative. Google in Talks with SpaceX to Launch Data Centers into Space
• Neutral Sentiment: Isomorphic Labs raised $2.1 billion to use AI for drug discovery, which highlights Alphabet’s broader AI ecosystem, but the direct stock impact is limited for now. Isomorphic Labs Raises $2.1 Billion to End Disease With AI
• Negative Sentiment: Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square sharply cut its GOOG and GOOGL positions, adding to concern that some large investors may be taking profits after the run-up. Fund Update: Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P. Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary says Alphabet’s heavy AI and cloud spending is pressuring free cash flow, raising questions about near-term margins and valuation. 6.7% AA2 Bond Yield From Alphabet, But There Is a Catch

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GOOG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Alphabet from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.40.

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.