Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Acquires 115,100 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 18.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 753,267 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 115,100 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up 1.2% of Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $216,082,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in GOOG. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 29,896 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $9,381,000 after buying an additional 2,341 shares during the period. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 275,943 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $86,596,000 after buying an additional 2,850 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 60,739 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $19,060,000 after buying an additional 4,239 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Alphabet by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 190,654 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $59,827,000 after acquiring an additional 15,280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Violich Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Alphabet by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc. now owns 340,776 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $106,936,000 after acquiring an additional 3,378 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on GOOG shares. KeyCorp set a $445.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Friday. Phillip Securities cut Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Freedom Capital lowered Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $378.53.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $357.33 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $368.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $335.92. 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 company has a market capitalization of $4.33 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.26, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.50 and a 12 month high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $106.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet’s payout ratio is presently 6.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $2,077,531.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total transaction of $153,432.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,348 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,345,358.56. The trade was a 1.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 159,415 shares of company stock worth $7,672,279 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Alphabet (GOOG) to a Strong Buy, citing improving earnings expectations and bullish near-term sentiment. Alphabet (GOOG) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here’s What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Alphabet’s AI and cloud outlook, with earnings preview articles pointing to Google Cloud and ad strength as potential drivers of another beat when results are reported on July 22. Google Stock Earnings Preview: Can Google Cloud Power Alphabet’s Next Earnings Beat?
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports framed Alphabet as a preferred AI and digital advertising name, noting resilient search traffic, strong ad monetization, and growing investor interest in its TPU and cloud strategy. Bet on 4 Cloud Computing Stocks to Hedge Against Volatile Markets
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage also pointed out that Alphabet is a trending stock and has recently outperformed the broader market, reflecting strong investor attention rather than a specific new catalyst. Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Exceeds Market Returns: Some Facts to Consider
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet also drew favorable commentary from Jim Cramer and other market voices, who described Google’s long-term contract and AI position as compelling, but these were mostly opinion-based rather than new business updates. Jim Cramer Reveals Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)’s “Best Contract in the World”
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory pressure remains a headwind, with Google facing a new AI training lawsuit from publishers and separate scrutiny in Switzerland and Germany over Android search defaults and AI Overviews. Google faces another AI training lawsuit from major publishers
• Negative Sentiment: Concerns about data-center expansion and related costs also weighed on sentiment after New York imposed a moratorium on certain data centers, potentially affecting hyperscaler growth plans. AMZN, GOOGL, META: Hyperscalers Hit as New York State Imposes Moratorium on Data Centers

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.