Alphabet Inc. $GOOG is Weitz Investment Management Inc.'s 2nd Largest Position

Key Points

• Weitz Investment Management cut its Alphabet stake by 17.9% in the second quarter, selling 58,650 shares, but Alphabet remains the firm’s second-largest holding at 6.6% of its portfolio and was valued at $94.7 billion.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with six Strong Buy and 30 Buy ratings; Alphabet has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $415.55, despite some recent target reductions.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, including $9.11 in earnings per share and $119.8 billion in revenue, up 24.2% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, for an annualized yield of approximately 0.3%.

Weitz Investment Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 17.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 268,100 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 58,650 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for about 6.6% of Weitz Investment Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Weitz Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $94,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GOOG. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 38,409.2% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 179,836,276 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,643,262,000 after buying an additional 179,369,280 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 28,482.8% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 112,091,870 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $35,174,429,000 after acquiring an additional 111,699,704 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $18,093,665,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its stake in Alphabet by 850.3% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 17,692,600 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,551,938,000 after acquiring an additional 15,830,754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Alphabet by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $132,114,125,000 after acquiring an additional 8,128,234 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on GOOG shares. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $425.00 price objective (up from $405.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Alphabet from $430.00 to $420.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Alphabet from $415.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $415.55.

Alphabet Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $342.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.64. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.96 and a 1 year high of $404.47. The firm has a market cap of $4.19 trillion, a PE ratio of 17.22, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $347.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $339.97.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $116.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.42%.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total value of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 118,138 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.90, for a total value of $2,232,808.20. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 451,843 shares of company stock worth $12,343,852. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI products are broadening Alphabet’s growth story. Google is expanding AI Mode with flight-price tracking, hotel-booking assistance and loyalty-point comparisons, while Gemini’s new “Personal Intelligence” features are making AI assistance more accessible to mainstream users. A potential Gemini 3.8 Flash release and the hiring of former OpenAI executive Barret Zoph further reinforce Alphabet’s competitive AI position. Google AI Mode article
• Positive Sentiment: Cloud momentum and AI infrastructure remain key bullish catalysts. Analysts point to surging Google Cloud revenue, AI adoption and a reported $514 billion backlog as evidence that Alphabet is gaining ground on Microsoft and Amazon. Wolfe Research named Alphabet a top 2027 pick and set a $460 target, citing accelerating cloud growth. Alphabet’s expanded custom-chip relationship with Marvell could also strengthen its TPU ecosystem and reduce reliance on outside suppliers over time. Google Cloud growth article
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical and valuation commentary is broadly supportive but not a new fundamental catalyst. Analysts continue to view GOOG favorably, and technical analysis identifies support near a key moving-average level. However, the stock remains below its 50-day average, suggesting investors are still weighing growth against execution risks. Alphabet technical analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and litigation overhangs persist. Google changed its European spam-policy enforcement to avoid a potential antitrust fine, a concession that may reduce near-term financial risk but could constrain search operations. Alphabet also agreed to a roughly $353 million UK Play Store settlement, while the FTC is reportedly considering a lawsuit over YouTube account suspensions. Multiple law firms separately announced securities-fraud investigations, though these notices do not establish wrongdoing. Google EU spam policy article
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain alert to the cost of the AI race. Reports that major technology companies have approximately $3 trillion in off-balance-sheet AI commitments, alongside Alphabet’s heavy capital spending and negative free cash flow concerns, could pressure future returns if AI monetization lags investment. Big Tech AI spending article

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.

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