Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management reduced its Alphabet stake by 0.6% in the second quarter, selling 7,219 shares and retaining 1,119,936 shares valued at approximately $395.7 million.
• Institutional investors own 27.26% of Alphabet, while analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $415.55; several firms recently raised their targets.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with revenue up 24.2% year over year to $119.8 billion and earnings well above estimates. Shares opened at $342.88, and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. decreased its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,119,936 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 7,219 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $395,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its stake in Alphabet by 38,409.2% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 179,836,276 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $5,643,262,000 after acquiring an additional 179,369,280 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 28,482.8% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 112,091,870 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $35,174,429,000 after purchasing an additional 111,699,704 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $18,093,665,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 850.3% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 17,692,600 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,551,938,000 after purchasing an additional 15,830,754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $132,114,125,000 after purchasing an additional 8,128,234 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet News Summary

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

A number of brokerages recently commented on GOOG. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $455.00 to $465.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Roth Capital lifted their price target on Alphabet from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday. Pivotal Research upped their price objective on Alphabet from $470.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $415.55.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 82 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.39, for a total value of $27,337.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,305,738.46. The trade was a 0.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total value of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. This trade represents a 1.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 451,843 shares of company stock valued at $12,343,852 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ GOOG opened at $342.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.64. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $347.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $339.97. The company has a market capitalization of $4.19 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.96 and a 12 month high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $116.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.31 earnings per share. Alphabet's quarterly revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet's payout ratio is 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.

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