Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC Sells 3,360 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 31.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,387 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 3,360 shares during the period. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $2,318,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Towne Trust Company N.A raised its stake in Alphabet by 34.0% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 29.0% in the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 258 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud delivered a standout Q1 result, with revenue up 63% to $20 billion, margin reaching 32.9%, and backlog rising to $462 billion. That reinforces Alphabet’s growing second engine beyond search and supports the bull case for further upside. GOOGL Rides on Surging Google Cloud Demand: More Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud is also getting validation from new enterprise partnerships, including EQT’s rollout to help more than 300 portfolio companies adopt AI using Google Cloud tools. Private equity firm EQT partners with Google Cloud for AI rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo news continues to suggest Alphabet’s autonomous-driving business may be undervalued, with the new Ojai robotaxi designed to lower fleet costs and expand capacity. That strengthens the long-term optionality in Alphabet’s non-advertising businesses. Waymo opens Ojai robotaxis to select riders as company aims to lower cost of fleet
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer was supportive, calling Alphabet a “crucial position” and saying “there’s a lot to like here,” which can help reinforce bullish sentiment among retail investors. Jim Cramer on Alphabet: “There’s a Lot to Like Here”
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares were also mentioned in analyst-style and market commentary framing Alphabet as a core AI and cloud beneficiary, but these pieces were largely reiterations rather than new catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: An Indian court ruling on keyword ads could increase trademark and legal risk for Google’s search advertising business, raising concerns about a core profit driver. Indian court ruling on Google keyword ads could reshape online advertising
• Negative Sentiment: News that a Google engineer was charged in a $1.2 million Polymarket insider-trading case may create a modest reputational overhang, even though it is not a direct business or financial issue for Alphabet. US charges Google engineer with insider trading on Polymarket

Alphabet Price Performance

NASDAQ GOOG opened at $376.43 on Friday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $343.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $324.30. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $404.47. The company has a market cap of $4.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.25.

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 the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.81 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This is a positive change from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alphabet 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 shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total transaction of $2,481,078.77. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,293,309.12. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061 in the last 90 days. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on GOOG shares. Freedom Capital downgraded Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. DZ Bank raised Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $345.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $372.65.

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.