Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Has $228.71 Million Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 727,464 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 65,727 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for approximately 0.8% of Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $228,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $122,000. L2 Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 23,858 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $7,487,000 after acquiring an additional 1,953 shares in the last quarter. Gould Asset Management LLC CA acquired a new position in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $252,000. Hurley Capital LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 3,060 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $960,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Grotto Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 184.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 135,688 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $42,579,000 after purchasing an additional 87,913 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $371.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.50 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $360.69 and its 200-day moving average is $330.18. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $2.43. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The business had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $106.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 8th. This is a boost from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.71%.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC announced a multi-year partnership with Alphabet’s Google Cloud to expand its AI capabilities, a fresh validation of Google Cloud’s enterprise momentum and a potentially meaningful revenue tailwind. HSBC partners with Google Cloud to expand AI usage
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet rolled out Android 17 and expanded Gemini features across Pixel devices and Wear OS, highlighting continued product innovation and deeper integration of AI into its consumer ecosystem. Android 17 launches with new multitasking tools as Google expands Gemini features
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet confirmed a $1.5 billion Alabama data center expansion, including community investment and infrastructure spending, signaling continued AI and cloud capacity buildout to support future demand. Google’s Samsung Talks Highlight TSMC Capacity Crunch
• Positive Sentiment: Google broadened Fitbit Air’s appeal by making it HSA and FSA eligible, which could improve adoption in digital health and wearables. Google Broadens Fitbit Air Appeal With HSA, FSA Eligibility
• Neutral Sentiment: Google also received positive media commentary around its AI strategy and enterprise adoption, but these were largely opinion pieces rather than new fundamental developments. Why GOOGL Stock May Have More Room to Run Even After a 100% Rally
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s AI and quantum research efforts continued to draw attention, but the impact on near-term earnings is unclear. Google’s 20x Quantum Leap Threatens Ethereum’s Code as ETH Price Drops
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage warned that the AI boom may be getting too speculative, with Howard Marks cautioning that investors may be overestimating what they own in AI stocks. Howard Marks: Investing in AI Stocks Is ‘Closer to Speculating’ Than Analysis

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider directly owned 51,808 shares in the company, valued at $14,293,309.12. This represents a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 159,466 shares of company stock valued at $6,957,543 over the last three months. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price target on Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Pivotal Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price target (up from $420.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $435.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $376.78.

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.