Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) CAO Marsida Saraci Sells 449 Shares

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 27,348 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,345,358.56. This represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG stock opened at $353.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.28 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.22. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $173.88 and a 52-week high of $404.47. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $366.98 and its 200 day moving average is $332.53.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.81 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. This is a positive change from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.71%.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet officially joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average, prompting a stock lift as passive funds and blue-chip investors rebalance into the shares. Reuters: Alphabet debuts in Dow Jones Industrial Average as index tilts toward tech
• Positive Sentiment: Google launched Nano Banana 2 Lite and Gemini Omni, cheaper and faster AI image/video models that could strengthen its AI product lineup and improve adoption. TechCrunch: Google introduces a faster, cheaper image generator with Nano Banana 2 Lite
• Positive Sentiment: FactSet announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to build AI-powered financial intelligence tools, adding validation for Google Cloud’s enterprise AI push. Yahoo Finance: FactSet Announces Strategic Partnership with Google Cloud to Bring Advanced AI to Financial Intelligence
• Positive Sentiment: Visa and Google signed on to use OpenUSD for money movement, suggesting additional ecosystem relevance in digital payments and infrastructure. PYMNTS: Visa and Google Sign on to Use Money Movement Stablecoin OpenUSD
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reports highlighted continued bullish analyst views and higher price targets, which support sentiment but are not new fundamental changes by themselves.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are still worried about Alphabet’s heavy AI spending, with reports noting massive compute-capacity plans and the risk that capital expenditures may weigh on near-term margins. Yahoo Finance: If You Think Alphabet’s AI Spending Is High Now, Just Wait for 2028
• Negative Sentiment: UK regulators opened a consultation aimed at loosening app-store payment restrictions, a potential pressure point for Google’s app marketplace economics. TechXplore: UK targets Apple, Google app store fees for developers
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider sales, including by director Frances Arnold and CAO Marsida Saraci, may add a small cautionary note even though the sales were modest. SEC filing: Alphabet insider transaction

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alphabet

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,238 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $5,805,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. PVG Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 180.3% in the first quarter. PVG Asset Management Corp now owns 7,498 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,151,000 after purchasing an additional 4,823 shares during the period. Steelhead Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the first quarter worth about $220,000. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the first quarter worth about $324,000. Finally, E Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 6.9% during the first quarter. E Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,160 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on GOOG. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Pivotal Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 price target (up from $420.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $376.78.

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.