Stephens Inc. AR Sells 6,089 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 327,473 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 6,089 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up 1.3% of Stephens Inc. AR’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $102,941,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GOOG. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Alphabet by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $132,114,125,000 after purchasing an additional 8,128,234 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Alphabet by 8.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,529,742 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $24,240,469,000 after purchasing an additional 7,904,434 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter worth $678,198,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth $869,781,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in Alphabet during the second quarter worth $455,745,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet highlighted new AI-powered ad formats at Google Marketing Live, including Gemini-linked tools that could improve ad targeting, conversion rates, and monetization across search and shopping. Google rolls out AI-powered ad formats at Marketing Live
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also focusing on Google I/O takeaways that suggest stronger Gemini adoption and broader AI product momentum, which could help Alphabet defend its search and cloud businesses. Google I/O Key Takeaways: Gemini’s Growth, Smart Glasses & Ties to Space Economy
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst-style articles argued that Alphabet’s AI ecosystem, cloud growth, and expanding Gemini usage make the stock look stronger over the long term. Google Made a Bigger AI Push with Gemini Spark. Alphabet (GOOG) Looks Stronger for It
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from investors and stock screeners continued to describe Alphabet as a high-quality growth name, but these pieces are more opinion-based than company-specific catalysts. ‘The Path Is Clear,’ Says Investor About Alphabet Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some media reports noted concerns from publishers that Google’s AI-driven search changes could reduce referral traffic, which is a longer-term industry risk rather than an immediate earnings issue. Google Search AI Overhaul Leaves Publishers Bracing For ‘Google Zero’
• Negative Sentiment: The EU fine report is the clearest negative catalyst: a large penalty would add to regulatory uncertainty and reinforce concerns that Alphabet’s search dominance is under pressure in Europe. EU plans to fine Google high triple-digit million euro sum, Handelsblatt reports
• Negative Sentiment: Google’s appeal of the U.S. search monopoly ruling keeps antitrust risks front and center for investors. Google Appeals Court Decision on Search Monopoly
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Stanley Druckenmiller dumped Alphabet may also weigh on sentiment, though this is more a signaling factor than a fundamental change. Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller Just Dumped Alphabet (Google) and Picked Up 2 Stocks That Are Direct Bets on Agentic AI

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GOOG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $385.00 price objective on Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Pivotal Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price objective (up from $420.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Alphabet from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $372.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 51,808 shares in the company, valued at $14,293,309.12. This trade represents a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 955 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total value of $284,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,955,564. This represents a 8.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $379.38 on Tuesday. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $404.47. The firm has a market cap of $4.60 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.25. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $337.06 and a 200-day moving average of $321.78.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The company had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.81 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

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

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.