Nicholas Company Inc. Decreases Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Nicholas Company Inc. cut its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 13.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 797,510 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 124,760 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises 4.3% of Nicholas Company Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $250,259,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its position in Alphabet by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $63,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the topic of several recent research reports. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday. Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Six 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $365.23.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.41, for a total value of $318,580.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,405,091.71. The trade was a 18.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 226,481 shares of company stock worth $27,422,061. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $384.90 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.66 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.25. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $404.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $332.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $319.68.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.81 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This is an increase from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.41%.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google I/O 2026 showcased major AI products and upgrades, including Gemini 3.5 Flash, Gemini Spark, AI-powered Search changes, and new monetization features, reinforcing confidence that Alphabet can monetize AI across its core businesses.
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet and Blackstone announced a $5 billion AI cloud venture built around Google’s TPU chips, which could expand Google Cloud and strengthen Alphabet’s position in AI infrastructure. Google, Blackstone to create new AI cloud company, WSJ reports
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary after I/O has been bullish, with multiple firms reiterating Buy/Outperform ratings and higher price targets, suggesting the market sees more upside from Alphabet’s AI strategy.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage says Alphabet’s AI adoption, cloud growth, and record operating margins support the view that the company is not just spending on AI, but improving profitability as well.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some reports note mixed signals from large investors and traders, including portfolio trimming by a few funds and valuation concerns after the stock’s strong run.
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet also faced headlines about a director sale and a major shareholder reducing its stake, which may create modest short-term pressure as investors lock in gains. TikTok, YouTube lag on UK child safety as rivals act, regulator says

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.