Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Position Lowered by Greenleaf Trust

Key Points

• Greenleaf Trust trimmed its position in Alphabet by 5.1%, selling 17,320 shares to hold 320,997 shares worth about $100.7 million, making GOOG its 10th largest holding.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly bullish with multiple upgrades and buy/strong‑buy ratings; the consensus analyst price target is about $345.71.
• There has been notable insider selling — including 2017 Gp L.L.C.'s sale of 1,845,308 shares — with insiders selling 2,068,744 shares (~$104.5 million) over the past three months while insiders still own 12.99% of the company.

Greenleaf Trust decreased its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 320,997 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 17,320 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 0.9% of Greenleaf Trust's portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Greenleaf Trust's holdings in Alphabet were worth $100,729,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HRC Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,042,000. Jefferson Bridge Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,112,000. ProCore Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,208,000. Finally, CCG Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. CCG Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,410 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $5,463,000 after purchasing an additional 1,956 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GOOG shares. Raymond James Financial upgraded Alphabet from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Alphabet from $330.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $345.71.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Top analysts expect strong Q1 momentum and continued earnings/AI-driven growth, supporting near-term upside into the company’s upcoming catalysts (earnings, Google I/O). Early Take: Top Analyst Weighs In on Alphabet (GOOGL) Ahead of Q1 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: DeepMind released a new robotics AI model and opened it to developers — a tangible AI productization step that reinforces Alphabet’s competitive AI moat and potential commercial pathways for Cloud/robotics. Google DeepMind Releases New AI Model to Bring Robots Closer to Real Autonomy
• Positive Sentiment: Citi put Alphabet on a positive 90-day catalyst watch citing Q1 results, Google I/O and Cloud Next as potential catalysts — institutional attention can amplify gains into those events. Alphabet (GOOG) Stock Gains Citi’s Positive Catalyst Watch Through July
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic chip/AI supply deals (Broadcom + Google TPUs and expanded Anthropic collaboration) de‑risk Alphabet’s AI infrastructure story and support investor confidence in long-term AI monetization. Here is why Alphabet (GOOGL) Is Among the High-Flying AI Stocks to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Bull/bear price models and buy signals (e.g., 24/7 Wall St. target ~ $352) provide upside narratives but depend on execution in Cloud/AI and ad resilience. Google Price Prediction: Bull and Bear Case
• Negative Sentiment: Mass arbitration claims tied to ad tech and search rulings could expose Alphabet to as much as $218 billion in damages — a large potential liability that raises regulatory/legal overhang and investor uncertainty. Alphabet Faces $218 Billion Mass Arbitration Claims Over Ad Tech And Search Rulings
• Negative Sentiment: New antitrust suit from rival Android app store Aptoide alleges Google monopolizes app distribution and billing — adds to legal risk profile and could pressure Android-related revenue or margins if rulings are unfavorable. Google sued by rival app store Aptoide over alleged monopoly
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure in digital ads: Emarketer/WSJ projections show Meta may overtake Google in net ad revenue this year — a structural risk for Google’s largest business that could weigh on longer-term top-line growth. Meta poised to surpass Google in digital ad revenue for first time, report says

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the transaction, the insider owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at $3,987,279.15. The trade was a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,068,744 shares of company stock valued at $104,505,914. Insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of GOOG stock opened at $330.43 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $4.00 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.13. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.40 and a 1 year high of $350.15. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $305.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $300.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.15 EPS. Research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. Alphabet's payout ratio is presently 7.77%.

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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