Kozak & Associates Inc. Acquires 18,995 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Kozak & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 298.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,357 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,995 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for about 1.6% of Kozak & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Kozak & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $9,075,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after acquiring an additional 6,410 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 76.2% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,865,304 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $330,886,000 after purchasing an additional 806,681 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $658,000. Financial Advisors Network Inc. boosted its position in Alphabet by 7.7% during the second quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 7,945 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its position in Alphabet by 10.7% during the second quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 37,310 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $6,618,000 after purchasing an additional 3,616 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings and AI spending outlook: Alphabet’s latest results showed revenue growth of 24.2% year over year and substantially exceeded analyst expectations. Reports highlighted Google Cloud revenue rising 82% to $24.8 billion, a 35.6% operating margin and a record $514 billion backlog, supporting the argument that AI infrastructure spending is translating into demand. Alphabet’s AI Spending Finally Makes Sense
• Positive Sentiment: Growing confidence in AI leadership: Google DeepMind commentary suggested the industry may be entering a new stage of AI development, while broader hyperscaler earnings renewed investor appetite for AI-related stocks, including Alphabet. Analysts and growth-stock commentary remain broadly constructive, with multiple buy or overweight ratings and a reported median price target above current trading levels. Google DeepMind Says the Next Stage of AI May Already Be Starting
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo provides an additional growth narrative: An analysis cited by media reports found Waymo robotaxis crashed 68% less often than human drivers. Improved safety could support the long-term commercial expansion and valuation of Alphabet’s autonomous-driving business. Waymo robotaxis found to crash 68% less often than human drivers
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional support: Massachusetts Financial Services reportedly increased its Alphabet position by approximately 23%, adding more than five million shares. That purchase reinforced the perception that professional investors view Alphabet’s AI and cloud prospects favorably. Massachusetts Financial Services fund update
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory discussions ahead: Google representatives are expected to meet with the White House, Anthropic and OpenAI to discuss a proposed AI oversight framework. The meeting could provide clarity but also highlights potential future compliance costs and restrictions. AI giants to meet with White House
• Negative Sentiment: Cloud competition remains a risk: Microsoft continues to lead Alphabet in cloud market share, potentially limiting Google Cloud’s ability to convert its strong backlog into sustained market-share gains. Microsoft Races Ahead of Google in the Cloud
• Negative Sentiment: AI product-control concerns: Google reportedly rolled back an AI feature in Google Earth after users generated fake satellite imagery, raising questions about product safeguards, reputational risk and the pace of AI deployment. For a Day, Google Made It Easy to Spoof Satellite Imagery

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $372.47 on Tuesday. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $190.92 and a 12 month high of $404.47. The company has a market cap of $4.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.23. The business’s 50 day moving average is $355.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $338.20. The company has a quick ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. The company had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.Alphabet’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.31 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Monday, September 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.42%.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total value of $3,142,911.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,298,044.10. This represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total transaction of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,386 shares in the company, valued at $9,125,015.20. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 600,547 shares of company stock valued at $16,255,540 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on GOOG shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Roth Capital raised their target price on shares of Alphabet from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Pivotal Research raised their target price on shares of Alphabet from $470.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $410.09.

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.