Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Position Increased by Kozak & Associates Inc.

Kozak & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 298.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 25,357 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 18,995 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for about 1.6% of Kozak & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Kozak & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $9,075,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Box Hill Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Box Hill Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,129 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,519,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 3,410 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,205,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. First County Bank CT grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. First County Bank CT now owns 3,937 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Miller Global Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 69.9% during the second quarter. Miller Global Investments LLC now owns 2,747 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.3% during the second quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 62,559 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,104,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Rosenblatt Securities set a $393.00 price target on Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $410.09.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings and AI spending outlook: Alphabet’s latest results showed revenue growth of 24.2% year over year and substantially exceeded analyst expectations. Reports highlighted Google Cloud revenue rising 82% to $24.8 billion, a 35.6% operating margin and a record $514 billion backlog, supporting the argument that AI infrastructure spending is translating into demand. Alphabet’s AI Spending Finally Makes Sense
• Positive Sentiment: Growing confidence in AI leadership: Google DeepMind commentary suggested the industry may be entering a new stage of AI development, while broader hyperscaler earnings renewed investor appetite for AI-related stocks, including Alphabet. Analysts and growth-stock commentary remain broadly constructive, with multiple buy or overweight ratings and a reported median price target above current trading levels. Google DeepMind Says the Next Stage of AI May Already Be Starting
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo provides an additional growth narrative: An analysis cited by media reports found Waymo robotaxis crashed 68% less often than human drivers. Improved safety could support the long-term commercial expansion and valuation of Alphabet’s autonomous-driving business. Waymo robotaxis found to crash 68% less often than human drivers
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional support: Massachusetts Financial Services reportedly increased its Alphabet position by approximately 23%, adding more than five million shares. That purchase reinforced the perception that professional investors view Alphabet’s AI and cloud prospects favorably. Massachusetts Financial Services fund update
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory discussions ahead: Google representatives are expected to meet with the White House, Anthropic and OpenAI to discuss a proposed AI oversight framework. The meeting could provide clarity but also highlights potential future compliance costs and restrictions. AI giants to meet with White House
• Negative Sentiment: Cloud competition remains a risk: Microsoft continues to lead Alphabet in cloud market share, potentially limiting Google Cloud’s ability to convert its strong backlog into sustained market-share gains. Microsoft Races Ahead of Google in the Cloud
• Negative Sentiment: AI product-control concerns: Google reportedly rolled back an AI feature in Google Earth after users generated fake satellite imagery, raising questions about product safeguards, reputational risk and the pace of AI deployment. For a Day, Google Made It Easy to Spoof Satellite Imagery

Alphabet Stock Up 4.4%

GOOG stock opened at $372.47 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $355.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $338.20. The company has a market cap of $4.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $190.92 and a 12-month high of $404.47. The company has a quick ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. The business had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. Alphabet’s revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Monday, September 7th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

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 sale, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,298,044.10. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $387,061.50. Following the sale, the director owned 1,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $545,941.03. This represents a 41.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 600,547 shares of company stock worth $16,255,540 over the last 90 days. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.