Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by LS Investment Advisors LLC

Key Points

• LS Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Alphabet by 2.6% in Q4, selling 3,820 shares to hold 143,856 shares worth about $45.14 million, making GOOG 6.3% of the firm's assets and its second‑largest position.
• Company insiders have sold a combined 2,037,294 shares in the past three months — including CEO Sundar Pichai's 32,500‑share sale (~$10.01M) and CAO Amie Thuener O'Toole's 617‑share sale — leaving insiders with roughly 12.99% ownership.
• Alphabet confirmed a planned commitment of up to $40 billion to AI startup Anthropic ($10B now, up to $30B contingent), a deal analysts call bullish for Google Cloud that has spurred upgrades and raised price targets (consensus ~$351.73).

LS Investment Advisors LLC lowered its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 143,856 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 3,820 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises 6.3% of LS Investment Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. LS Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $45,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Diversified Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth about $3,943,000. Towne Trust Company N.A grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Wealth Effects LLC increased its stake in Alphabet by 47.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 6,807 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $2,136,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC now owns 22,870 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $7,177,000 after buying an additional 2,100 shares during the period. Finally, Adelphi Trust Co acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,062,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.63, for a total transaction of $178,701.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 10,093 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,923,235.59. This trade represents a 5.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total value of $10,006,425.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,642,060 shares in the company, valued at $505,573,853.40. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,037,294 shares of company stock valued at $94,216,897. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GOOG shares. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 price objective (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. DZ Bank raised Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 target price on Alphabet and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $351.73.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google confirmed a planned up to $40 billion commitment to AI startup Anthropic — $10B invested now and up to $30B contingent on performance — signaling a deep strategic partnership that should drive Google Cloud revenue, TPU demand and long‑term AI market share. PYMNTS: Google Doubles Down on Anthropic
• Positive Sentiment: Market and media reaction pushed GOOGL coverage higher today: outlets and traders flagged the deal as bullish for Google Cloud, TPU sales and infrastructure partners, contributing to the stock uptick. Blockonomi: Stock Climbs on $40B Anthropic Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s recent fundamentals and AI product momentum (Gemini, TPU launches, Cloud partnerships) give investors confidence the Anthropic deal can translate into higher monetization and ad/search engagement — analysts have raised targets and reiterated buys ahead of Q1 earnings. ProactiveInvestors: Buy Rating Ahead of Q1
• Neutral Sentiment: The additional $30B is contingent on milestones — positive if targets are met, but it spreads the cash out over time and ties part of the commitment to execution risk and market conditions. TechCrunch: Google to Invest Up to $40B in Anthropic
• Neutral Sentiment: Global AI competition is intensifying (including from Chinese players) — this validates demand but keeps pricing and product dynamics uncertain. Yahoo Finance: China’s DeepSeek Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: the EU is pressing Google to give AI rivals access to Android features — any mandated access could weaken parts of Google’s mobile moat and limit competitive advantage for Gemini on Android. PYMNTS: EU Pressure on Android Access
• Negative Sentiment: Scale of AI spending and infrastructure roll‑outs raises CapEx and free‑cash‑flow pressure; investors should watch upcoming Q1 results and FCF guidance for signs the investments are converting into profitable growth. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Preview — CapEx Risks

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $342.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01. The business has a 50-day moving average of $308.26 and a 200-day moving average of $304.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.14 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.13. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $149.49 and a fifty-two week high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.15 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 11.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. Alphabet's payout ratio is presently 7.77%.

Alphabet 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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