Alphabet Inc. $GOOG is Maple Capital Management Inc.’s 2nd Largest Position

Maple Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 443,891 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 2,179 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for approximately 8.8% of Maple Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Maple Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $139,293,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Alphabet by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,951 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $3,436,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC increased its position in Alphabet by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 19,358 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,075,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 8,841 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,774,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the period. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc lifted its stake in Alphabet by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 58,198 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $18,263,000 after purchasing an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC now owns 22,005 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $6,905,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. KeyCorp set a $370.00 target price on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $395.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $348.00 target price (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $363.40.

Alphabet Trading Down 1.0%

GOOG stock opened at $393.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.77 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.25. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $399.93. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $327.44 and its 200 day moving average is $316.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $2.43. The company 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 firm’s revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.81 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is an increase from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 6.41%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.99, for a total transaction of $33,934.88. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,580,469.82. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total value of $10,006,425.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,642,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,573,853.40. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 157,953 shares of company stock valued at $47,767,818. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America and other analysts are expecting major Gemini AI announcements at Google I/O, which could reinforce Alphabet’s leadership in AI and support the stock. BofA Sends Blunt Message for Alphabet Investors Ahead of Google I/O
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target on Alphabet, and Erste Group also lifted earnings estimates, signaling stronger profit expectations ahead of Google I/O. Alphabet had its price target raised by Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc.
• Positive Sentiment: Several investors and funds, including Goldman Sachs and Egerton Capital, disclosed larger Alphabet stakes, suggesting continued institutional confidence. Fund Update: GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Google’s Gemini Flash model is quietly gaining AI customers and that Alphabet is expanding AI infrastructure point to improving enterprise demand for its AI products. Google has been quietly gaining AI customers, even before big releases next week
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet completed a record 576.5 billion yen bond offering to fund AI capex, showing it still has strong access to capital for its infrastructure buildout. Alphabet completes record-breaking yen bond issuance
• Neutral Sentiment: News that Google is in talks with SpaceX to launch data centers into space is intriguing, but it is still early-stage and speculative. Google in Talks with SpaceX to Launch Data Centers into Space
• Neutral Sentiment: Isomorphic Labs raised $2.1 billion to use AI for drug discovery, which highlights Alphabet’s broader AI ecosystem, but the direct stock impact is limited for now. Isomorphic Labs Raises $2.1 Billion to End Disease With AI
• Negative Sentiment: Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square sharply cut its GOOG and GOOGL positions, adding to concern that some large investors may be taking profits after the run-up. Fund Update: Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P. Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary says Alphabet’s heavy AI and cloud spending is pressuring free cash flow, raising questions about near-term margins and valuation. 6.7% AA2 Bond Yield From Alphabet, But There Is a Catch

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.