Costello Asset Management INC Has $13.48 Million Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Costello Asset Management INC cut its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 4.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,995 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 2,139 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up approximately 4.7% of Costello Asset Management INC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Costello Asset Management INC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $13,481,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total transaction of $3,142,911.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 75,290 shares in the company, valued at $26,298,044.10. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 160,465 shares of company stock valued at $8,020,511 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $350.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $369.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $335.63. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $180.71 and a 52-week high of $404.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.25 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.23.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The firm’s revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.81 EPS. Analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is presently 6.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on GOOG. Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $430.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $378.53.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet received a fresh boost from analyst commentary and upgrades, including a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Bank of America’s view that Google search remains in an “expansionary moment,” which supports the case for continued earnings strength. Article: Alphabet (GOOG) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here’s What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted continued user and traffic gains for Google, while new AI chip initiatives suggest Alphabet could expand its TPU business and strengthen its position in cloud AI infrastructure. Article: Google holds steady as Claude, Gemini surge in June user growth
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles framed Alphabet as a key AI beneficiary with custom chips, hyperscaler scale, and potential upside into its July 22 earnings report, which may be helping support the shares. Article: Google (GOOGL) Wants a Bigger Piece of Nvidia’s AI Chip Market – Here’s Its Plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching Alphabet closely because it is a heavily followed “trending stock,” with attention building ahead of earnings rather than on a single new fundamental catalyst. Article: Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the bullish AI narrative, multiple reports point to a large and rising capex burden—analysts expect roughly $44.9 billion in Q2 capital spending—raising concerns that heavy AI investment could pressure near-term margins and cash flow. Article: Big Tech’s Massive AI Spending Is Just Starting. Earnings Will Show It.
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet also faces broader investor concern that its ad dominance could come under threat and that the market may be discounting the payoff from its spending surge until earnings confirm the growth story. Article: Alphabet’s $1 Trillion Ad Dominance Is Facing New Threats

About Alphabet

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.