Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Bought by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

Key Points

• EP Wealth Advisors increased its Alphabet position by 16.1% in the second quarter, adding 55,297 shares for a total of 399,284 shares valued at approximately $141.1 million.
• Alphabet insiders have sold 451,843 shares worth about $12.3 million over the past 90 days, while institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the stock.
• Wall Street maintains a broadly positive view, with a consensus “Buy” rating and $415.55 price target; Alphabet also reported quarterly revenue growth of 24.2% year over year and earnings well above estimates.

EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 399,284 shares of the information services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 55,297 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $141,079,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares in the company, valued at $9,125,015.20. This trade represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,481 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 451,843 shares of company stock valued at $12,343,852. 12.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Alphabet from $418.00 to $411.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $395.00 price objective (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. KeyCorp set a $445.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Alphabet from $460.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $475.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Six research 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.com, Alphabet has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $415.55.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of GOOG opened at $342.88 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.96 and a fifty-two week high of $404.47. The company's fifty day moving average is $347.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $339.97. The firm has a market cap of $4.19 trillion, a PE ratio of 17.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.23. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. The business had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.31 EPS. Analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.42%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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