Alphabet Inc. $GOOG is Polen Capital Management LLC’s 5th Largest Position

Polen Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,018,121 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 622,121 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for approximately 5.4% of Polen Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Polen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $1,260,887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Towne Trust Company N.A lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 1,438.5% during the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 200 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG stock opened at $356.56 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $404.47. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $356.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $329.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.32 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.22.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.3 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. This is an increase from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.71%.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,642,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,573,853.40. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 193,016 shares of company stock worth $17,282,549 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on GOOG shares. Phillip Securities cut shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $348.00 target price (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Freedom Capital cut Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Alphabet from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Five equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $376.78.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet shareholders approved an expansion of the company’s stock plan and re-elected the board, a routine but shareholder-friendly governance update that signals continuity and support for management. Alphabet Shareholders Approve Stock Plan Expansion, Reelect Board
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, launched a $29.99 monthly “Premier” subscription and added perks like cash back and free cancellations, suggesting Alphabet is still pushing to monetize robotaxi demand in high-usage markets. Waymo launches premier subscription tier
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is expanding its AI footprint through new Google chip plans and continued infrastructure support for Anthropic, reinforcing the view that Google Cloud and its AI ecosystem could benefit from long-term demand. Google in talks with Samsung to make next-generation chips
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted bullish analyst and investor sentiment, including higher earnings estimates and Alphabet’s continued status as a favored large-cap AI name. Analyst estimate updates and AI-stock commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Google said it identified an active cyber extortion campaign targeting Oracle PeopleSoft users via a ShinyHunters exploit; the issue appears to be a threat-intelligence update rather than a direct breach of Alphabet systems. Google says ShinyHunters hackers targeting education sector via Oracle exploit
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s Gemini and AI Overview products drew more scrutiny, including reports of search/AI controversy and temporary Workspace AI errors, which may keep debate alive around product quality and AI monetization. Google Stock Drops as AI Overview Faces Fresh Controversy
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains centered on heavy capex and how quickly Alphabet can turn AI spending into durable revenue, especially as some commentary questioned search monetization and data-center economics. Alphabet Stock Opinions on Capital Raise and AI Challenges
• Negative Sentiment: A California judge denied a new trial in the youth social media addiction case involving YouTube, leaving Alphabet exposed to ongoing legal and reputational risk. Meta and Google denied new trial after landmark verdict

Alphabet Company 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.