USS Investment Management Ltd Raises Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

USS Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 0.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 814,669 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,610 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 1.0% of USS Investment Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. USS Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $233,619,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A lifted its position in Alphabet by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOG opened at $356.18 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $173.88 and a fifty-two 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 has a fifty day moving average of $368.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $333.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.32 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.17, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.23.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. This is a positive change from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 6.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Pivotal Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 price objective (up from $420.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Four investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $376.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total value of $153,432.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,348 shares in the company, valued at $9,345,358.56. The trade was a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the company’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 value of $2,077,531.25. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 160,465 shares of company stock worth $8,020,511 in the last ninety days. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet continues to benefit from bullish investor and analyst sentiment, with several recent reports highlighting strong earnings momentum, favorable price targets, and optimism around its AI and cloud growth. Zacks: Top-Performing ETF Areas of 1H 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud is gaining enterprise traction, including a new Reuters report that Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo moved core IT systems to Google’s cloud, supporting the case for faster cloud revenue growth. Reuters: Italy’s Intesa shifts core IT banking systems to Google’s cloud technology
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s partnership with Google on a Gemini-powered shopping experience reinforces Alphabet’s position in applied AI and could open future commerce-related revenue opportunities. 247WallSt: Which Stocks Win When Google AI Powers Walmart’s Checkout?
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet was mentioned in connection with an Open USD stablecoin partnership list, but the report says some companies deny signing on, making the impact unclear. TipRanks: Open USD Stablecoin Lists Major Partners, But Some Say They Never Signed On
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet insider John Kent Walker sold shares, but the transaction appears routine and is unlikely by itself to change the company’s outlook. InsiderTrades: John Kent Walker Alphabet transaction
• Negative Sentiment: The EU’s top court upheld a record €4.1 billion antitrust fine against Google over Android practices, a meaningful legal setback that keeps regulatory pressure on Alphabet. Reuters: EU top court dismisses Google fight against record €4.1 billion EU antitrust fine
• Negative Sentiment: Several articles flagged investor concern over Alphabet’s heavy AI infrastructure spending, with scrutiny growing around whether capex will pressure margins before it boosts returns. Yahoo Finance: Alphabet Drops 6% Despite $4.3 Trillion Valuation as AI Spending Draws Scrutiny

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.