Costello Asset Management INC Reduces Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Costello Asset Management INC cut its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 4.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 46,995 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 2,139 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up approximately 4.7% of Costello Asset Management INC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Costello Asset Management INC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $13,481,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ring Mountain Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,174,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.3% in the first quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Certior Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 919 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $288,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet received a fresh boost from analyst commentary and upgrades, including a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Bank of America’s view that Google search remains in an “expansionary moment,” which supports the case for continued earnings strength. Article: Alphabet (GOOG) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here’s What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted continued user and traffic gains for Google, while new AI chip initiatives suggest Alphabet could expand its TPU business and strengthen its position in cloud AI infrastructure. Article: Google holds steady as Claude, Gemini surge in June user growth
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles framed Alphabet as a key AI beneficiary with custom chips, hyperscaler scale, and potential upside into its July 22 earnings report, which may be helping support the shares. Article: Google (GOOGL) Wants a Bigger Piece of Nvidia’s AI Chip Market – Here’s Its Plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching Alphabet closely because it is a heavily followed “trending stock,” with attention building ahead of earnings rather than on a single new fundamental catalyst. Article: Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the bullish AI narrative, multiple reports point to a large and rising capex burden—analysts expect roughly $44.9 billion in Q2 capital spending—raising concerns that heavy AI investment could pressure near-term margins and cash flow. Article: Big Tech’s Massive AI Spending Is Just Starting. Earnings Will Show It.
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet also faces broader investor concern that its ad dominance could come under threat and that the market may be discounting the payoff from its spending surge until earnings confirm the growth story. Article: Alphabet’s $1 Trillion Ad Dominance Is Facing New Threats

Alphabet Stock Down 1.2%

Alphabet stock opened at $350.67 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $369.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $335.63. 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 market cap of $4.25 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $180.71 and a fifty-two week high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion during 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 company’s revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.81 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. This is an increase from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 6.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GOOG. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Alphabet from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Freedom Capital lowered Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.28, for a total value of $39,343.36. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,833 shares in the company, valued at $6,615,656.24. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total transaction of $3,142,911.42. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,298,044.10. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 160,465 shares of company stock valued at $8,020,511 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

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.