Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Holdings Lowered by First Financial Bankshares Inc

First Financial Bankshares Inc trimmed its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 704,140 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 21,379 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up 4.4% of First Financial Bankshares Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. First Financial Bankshares Inc’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $220,396,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 528,969,322 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $165,567,398,000 after buying an additional 12,531,695 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 229,954,269 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $40,524,841,000 after buying an additional 4,008,374 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 146,193,037 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $45,625,595,000 after buying an additional 2,666,676 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $30,534,239,000. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 53,881,908 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $16,865,158,000 after buying an additional 774,336 shares during the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total value of $2,481,078.77. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 51,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,293,309.12. This trade represents a 14.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 617 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.63, for a total transaction of $178,701.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 10,093 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,923,235.59. This trade represents a 5.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 193,016 shares of company stock worth $17,282,549. 11.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on GOOGL shares. China Renaissance increased their target price on shares of Alphabet from $400.00 to $485.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $435.00 price target (up from $427.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Alphabet from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $430.00 price target on shares of Alphabet and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $413.13.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOGL opened at $357.77 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $162.00 and a 1-year high of $408.61. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $359.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $330.05.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $2.47. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $106.98 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.3 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

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

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s Google is reportedly in talks with Samsung to manufacture part of its next-generation TPU chip, a sign it is deepening control over AI hardware supply and potentially improving long-term margins. Google in talks with Samsung to make next-generation chips, The Information reports
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo launched a $29.99 monthly premium subscription tier with perks like 10% cash back and free cancellations, showing Alphabet is working to turn autonomous driving into a recurring revenue business. Waymo launches a loyalty program with 10% cash back and free cancellations
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Alphabet, reinforcing confidence in the company’s profit outlook. Alphabet earnings estimate increases
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Alphabet as a long-term growth and AI beneficiary, with bullish commentary around cloud, Gemini, and the broader “agentic AI” opportunity. Alphabet: Now Is The Time To Raise Equity, Agentic AI Is Here (Rating Upgrade)
• Neutral Sentiment: Google said it identified an active Oracle PeopleSoft hacking campaign tied to ShinyHunters, which underscores cybersecurity concerns in the enterprise software ecosystem but is not a direct hit to Alphabet’s core business. Google says ShinyHunters hackers targeting education sector via Oracle exploit
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo also announced a national ad push and a broader effort to market its service, which may help growth but is too early to quantify. Waymo Readies First National Ads as Rivals and Critics Proliferate
• Negative Sentiment: A Google director resigned publicly over the company’s Pentagon-related AI work, adding reputational noise around governance and ethics. A Google director resigned over the company’s military deals
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet also faced legal and product-related overhangs this week, including a denied retrial in the youth social media addiction case and reports of Gemini/Workspace service issues, which could weigh on sentiment. Update: Market Chatter: Google, Meta Platforms Denied New Trial in Youth Social Media Addiction Case by California Judge

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.