Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group cut its Alphabet stake by 9.3%, selling 628,311 shares in the third quarter and retaining 6.12 million shares valued at about $2.08 billion.
• Alphabet reported quarterly EPS of $2.12, below the $3.01 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 24.7% year over year to $127.58 billion—slightly below expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remained broadly positive: the stock had a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $413.38.

Aberdeen Group plc cut its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,117,862 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 628,311 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises 2.2% of Aberdeen Group plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.05% of Alphabet worth $2,084,600,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Readystate Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the second quarter valued at approximately $45,352,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 76.1% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 14,581,870 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $4,182,952,000 after buying an additional 6,300,900 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 190,923,442 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $67,458,980,000 after buying an additional 5,208,690 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 369,922,502 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $130,704,718,000 after buying an additional 5,164,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 22.9% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 21,922,379 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $6,288,654,000 after buying an additional 4,083,758 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Performance

NASDAQ GOOG opened at $292.52 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $325.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $335.97. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $271.41 and a 12-month high of $404.47. The firm has a market cap of $3.60 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 2.69, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.01 by ($0.89). Alphabet had a net margin of 50.03% and a return on equity of 43.33%. The company had revenue of $127.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $127.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.87 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 24.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 19.74 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 7th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total value of $28,257.35. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,076 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,494,424.20. The trade was a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 247 shares of company stock valued at $79,238 in the last quarter. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $375.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Roth Capital lifted their price target on Alphabet from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Alphabet from $425.00 to $375.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $413.38.

Alphabet News Roundup

These are some of the GOOG news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s abrupt departure has investors considering alternatives to Nvidia. Alphabet could benefit through its TPUs; reports say nearly 100 customers use Google’s custom AI chips, and HSBC has set a $360 price target. Any market-share gains remain prospective. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Google and Samsung are opening preorders for AI smart glasses. The launch extends Google’s AI ecosystem, but its near-term revenue impact is unclear and privacy concerns remain. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet’s planned AI infrastructure spending—reported at up to $205 billion this year—could weigh on returns if growth does not justify the cost. A separate lawsuit seeking to halt frontier-AI development also adds regulatory uncertainty. Article

About Alphabet

Alphabet is a technology holding company whose primary business is Google. Founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google became part of Alphabet when the company adopted a holding-company structure in 2015. Sundar Pichai leads Alphabet and Google as chief executive officer. Google offers internet search, online advertising, cloud computing, and software and hardware products. Its services and products include Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Cloud.

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