Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Bought by Ritholtz Wealth Management

Key Points

• Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in Alphabet (GOOG) by 10.4% in Q4, adding 13,113 shares to hold 139,786 shares worth about $43.87M, roughly 0.8% of its portfolio and its 21st largest position.
• Significant insider and large‑holder selling has occurred recently — insiders sold a total of 2,068,744 shares (≈$104.5M) over the last 90 days, including a 1,845,308‑share sale by 2017 Gp L.L.C., though insiders still own 12.99% of the stock.
• Alphabet beat Q4 expectations with EPS of $2.82 versus $2.59 and revenue of $113.8B (up 18% YoY), prompting analyst upgrades and an average target of $346.03, and the company recently declared a $0.21 quarterly dividend.

Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 139,786 shares of the information services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 13,113 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for approximately 0.8% of Ritholtz Wealth Management's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in Alphabet were worth $43,865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GOOG. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $22,901,000 after buying an additional 6,410 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 76.2% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,865,304 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $330,886,000 after buying an additional 806,681 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter worth about $658,000. Financial Advisors Network Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 7.7% during the second quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 7,945 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,409,000 after buying an additional 565 shares during the period. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 10.7% during the second quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 37,310 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $6,618,000 after buying an additional 3,616 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 955 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total transaction of $284,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,955,564. This represents a 8.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 2,068,744 shares of company stock valued at $104,505,914 over the last ninety days. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alphabet Trading Up 2.0%

NASDAQ GOOG opened at $339.40 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.11 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.13. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.40 and a 52-week high of $350.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $305.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $301.90. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.15 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Alphabet from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 target price on shares of Alphabet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up from $365.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $346.03.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports say Google is in talks with the U.S. Department of Defense to allow its Gemini models to be used in classified settings — a potential large, high‑visibility contract that would expand Alphabet’s government AI footprint and validate Gemini for sensitive enterprise use. Google, Pentagon discuss classified AI deal, the Information reports
• Positive Sentiment: QuiverQuant flags a large institutional buying update: SG Americas reportedly added ~9.8M GOOGL shares in its 13F — a sign of meaningful institutional demand. Fund Update: SG Americas Securities, LLC Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet signed a long‑term energy supply deal (NiSource) to power a large Indiana data center — reduces power risk for hyperscale operations and supports cloud/AI capacity growth. NiSource signs long-term power deal with Alphabet, expands Amazon agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Product momentum: Google announced personalized image generation tied to Gemini and new features (Nano Banana) — tangible AI product rollouts that support user engagement and future monetization paths. Google will let users connect their photos to the Gemini chatbot and Nano Banana
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnerships (e.g., Thoma Bravo) and analyst/upside coverage highlight enterprise AI/Cyber expansion — supports longer‑term revenue diversification beyond ads. Alphabet Faces Legal Pressures While Pursuing Enterprise AI Growth Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: Several bullish analyst and retail pieces reiterate Alphabet as a top long‑term growth/AI pick — helpful for sentiment but largely opinion‑driven. Why Alphabet (GOOGL) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Price forecasts from ML models and ranking lists (Finbold, Motley Fool) are circulating — they draw attention but are speculative and not a primary driver of fundamentals. Machine learning algorithm predicts Google stock price on April 30, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: The EU’s Digital Markets Act proposals would force Google to share detailed search/ranking/click data with rivals — a material regulatory risk that could weaken search defensibility and ad targeting advantages. Google should allow third-party search engines access to data, EU says
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet is guiding toward higher AI capex for 2026 (data center, custom silicon, energy costs) — analysts warn this could compress margins and free cash flow in the near term. Alphabet Shares Rise 7% YTD: Buy, Sell, or Hold the GOOGL Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing legal and antitrust pressures (Android/App distribution suits, advertiser arbitration) and some asset managers trimming positions add regulatory/legal downside and selling signals. Alphabet Faces Legal Pressures While Pursuing Enterprise AI Growth Potential

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.

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