Bank of Stockton Cuts Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Bank of Stockton lessened its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 5.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 29,607 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 1,839 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 2.6% of Bank of Stockton’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Bank of Stockton’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $8,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on GOOGL shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, May 4th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $515.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and issued a $460.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $413.73.

Alphabet Stock Down 4.4%

Shares of GOOGL opened at $354.46 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $369.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $337.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.29 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $180.48 and a 52 week high of $408.61.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $2.47. 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 the consensus estimate of $106.98 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is an increase from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 6.71%.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Alphabet could beat second-quarter expectations, citing strength in Google Cloud and a potential boost from its Anthropic stake; the firm raised estimates and kept a bullish view. Alphabet could crush estimates on Cloud strength, Anthropic windfall: BofA
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts reiterated constructive views on Alphabet ahead of earnings, with reports highlighting earnings growth, price strength, and a favorable setup for the upcoming results. Alphabet Set for Solid Quarterly Results on Cloud Strength, BofA Says
• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett’s comments that he initiated Berkshire Hathaway’s Alphabet investment added a sentiment boost, reinforcing confidence in the stock’s long-term appeal. Warren Buffett tells CNBC he initiated Berkshire Hathaway’s investment in Alphabet
• Positive Sentiment: Google also unveiled product updates in AI Mode and Google Vids, which support the view that Alphabet is still expanding its AI ecosystem and monetization opportunities. Google’s AI Mode now lets you link and interact with select apps
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet remains a major earnings watch name ahead of next week’s report, with investors focused on Cloud growth, Search resilience, and capital spending trends.
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg reported that Google’s Gemini 3.5 Pro AI model is months behind schedule and has fallen short of internal coding goals, raising questions about execution in a key AI product area. Google Gemini launch delayed as tech falls short of internal goals, Bloomberg News reports
• Negative Sentiment: The European Union issued new rules requiring Google to share more search data and open Android to rival AI companies, adding to Alphabet’s regulatory overhang in Europe. Google required to open up to AI, search engine rivals under EU-mandated changes
• Negative Sentiment: Law firms also announced a securities fraud investigation tied to the AI delay report, which can increase investor caution and volatility around the stock. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Announced

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total value of $153,432.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,345,358.56. This trade represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 159,415 shares of company stock worth $7,672,279. 11.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google’s core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google’s consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.