Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Stake Decreased by Freestone Capital Holdings LLC

Key Points

• Freestone Capital Holdings LLC trimmed its Alphabet stake by 2.5% in Q4, selling 6,428 shares to hold 248,619 shares valued at about $77.82 million, making GOOGL its 10th-largest position (~2.3% of the portfolio).
• Insiders sold a combined 2,037,294 shares worth roughly $94.2 million over the last quarter (insiders now own 11.55%), while institutional investors hold 40.03% of Alphabet.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $369.67, and several brokers have recently raised targets up to $415.00.

Freestone Capital Holdings LLC lowered its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 248,619 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 6,428 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 2.3% of Freestone Capital Holdings LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $77,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,199 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,627,000 after acquiring an additional 909 shares during the period. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC now owns 18,587 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,818,000 after acquiring an additional 1,657 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at $11,552,000. Oak Ridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 79,096 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $24,757,000 after purchasing an additional 8,125 shares during the period. Finally, Cove Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Cove Private Wealth LLC now owns 47,610 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $14,902,000 after purchasing an additional 2,986 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GOOGL. President Capital boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $323.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Dbs Bank boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Tigress Financial set a $415.00 target price on shares of Alphabet and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up from $348.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 target price (up from $325.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $369.67.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pentagon access expands — the U.S. Department of Defense has added Google’s Gemini models to secure/ classified use, opening a new avenue for recurring, high‑margin cloud and AI revenue that could materially benefit Google Cloud’s growth profile. Pentagon AI chief confirms DOD's expanded use of Google
• Positive Sentiment: Standards push for agentic commerce — Google and Mastercard contributed agentic‑AI commerce/authentication standards to the FIDO Alliance, which could accelerate secure commercial use of agentic features and broaden revenue paths for Google’s AI platform. Google and Mastercard Contribute Agentic Commerce Standards to FIDO Alliance
• Positive Sentiment: AI hardware progress supports ecosystem — market commentary tying Google’s custom AI chip roadmap to Broadcom’s strength highlights Google’s vertical stack (chips + cloud + models), which supports durable competitive positioning in AI infrastructure. Broadcom Hits $2 Trillion Market Cap as Google Reveals New AI Chips
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings and ad metrics in focus — multiple previews stress that Search ad strength and Cloud demand will determine the Q1 print; investors are braced for guidance on AI spending and ad trends rather than a surprise in model‑driven revenue acceleration. META, GOOGL Earnings: Advertising Results Remain Key
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst support vs. stretched valuation — some firms reaffirm buy ratings into earnings, but comments note valuation is elevated and investors want proof that AI capex converts into higher returns. MarketScreener: Deutsche Bank Keeps Buy
• Negative Sentiment: Employee and reputational backlash — internal protests and public criticism followed the Pentagon deal, creating potential talent, PR and culture risks that could complicate execution and invite scrutiny. A Google researcher says they're 'ashamed' after the company signed a Pentagon deal
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and geopolitical headwinds — EU guidance to target cloud/AI under Big Tech rules and proposals like Australia’s news levy add policy risk that could pressure margins or local revenues over time. EU rules reining in Big Tech will now target cloud services and AI

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total value of $2,481,078.77. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,293,309.12. This represents a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.65, for a total transaction of $348,232.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,581 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,187,638.65. This trade represents a 22.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 2,037,294 shares of company stock valued at $94,216,897 over the last quarter. 11.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Alphabet Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:GOOGL opened at $349.77 on Wednesday. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $147.84 and a 1-year high of $353.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $311.15 and a 200 day moving average of $306.97. The firm has a market cap of $4.23 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.57 by $0.25. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The company had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 11.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Alphabet

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google's core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google's consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.

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