Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Stock: NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Raises Stake

Key Points

• NorthCrest Asset Management increased its Alphabet stake by 9.9% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 279,666 shares valued at approximately $97.4 million. Several other institutional investors also raised their positions, while institutions collectively own 40.03% of the stock.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish on Alphabet. Analysts give the stock an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $425.72, citing growth in Google Cloud and artificial intelligence demand.
• Alphabet faces several potential risks despite strong fundamentals. These include Gemini-related securities litigation, disruption to publishers from changing Google search referrals, and recent insider selling; shares recently opened at $352.72.

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 279,666 shares of the information services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 25,295 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up 2.3% of NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $97,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. DWR Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 9.8% during the third quarter. DWR Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,503 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Haven Capital Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 1.0% in the third quarter. Haven Capital Group Inc. now owns 24,567 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $8,453,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Vertrix Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 31.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vertrix Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,281 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,258,000 after buying an additional 3,618 shares during the last quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,880 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,120,000 after buying an additional 894 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Financial Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 5.7% in the third quarter. Integrated Financial Solutions Inc. now owns 36,397 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $12,524,000 after buying an additional 1,950 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains strong. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “Overweight” rating and a $420 price target, implying meaningful upside from recent levels. Longer-term commentary also points to Alphabet’s large Google Cloud backlog and growing AI demand as potential drivers. Cantor Fitzgerald Reaffirms Overweight Rating for Alphabet
• Positive Sentiment: Cloud and AI infrastructure remain key growth themes. Google Cloud reportedly generated $24.8 billion in second-quarter revenue, while its backlog reached approximately $514 billion. Alphabet’s 3.59-gigawatt nuclear-power agreement with Constellation also highlights efforts to secure reliable electricity for energy-intensive AI data centers. Alphabet Google Cloud Growth
• Positive Sentiment: New consumer-health initiatives could broaden Alphabet’s ecosystem. Google introduced the $180 Fitbit Edge and partnered with Function Health to combine wearable data with extensive laboratory testing, potentially increasing engagement with Google’s devices and subscription services. Fitbit Edge Is Google’s Middle Ground
• Negative Sentiment: Gemini-related litigation is the most immediate overhang. A securities-fraud class action alleges Alphabet misrepresented the development progress of Gemini 3.5 Pro, including coding and training-data setbacks, before a sharp share-price decline. Multiple law firms are publicizing the case and lead-plaintiff deadlines, increasing headline and potential legal risk. The allegations have not been proven. Alphabet AI Issues and Securities Fraud Class Action
• Negative Sentiment: Google search-distribution changes are hurting some publishers. Reach, publisher of the Daily Mirror and Express, reported a 20.3% decline in third-quarter digital revenue, attributing much of the weakness to disrupted Google referrals. While this is not direct evidence of weaker Alphabet revenue, it highlights potential publisher backlash and uncertainty around AI-driven search traffic. Daily Mirror Publisher Reach Hit by Google Traffic Slump

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GOOGL shares. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $410.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Alphabet from $395.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price target on Alphabet and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $420.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday. Finally, Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $445.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $425.72.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $352.72 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.31 trillion, a P/E ratio of 17.72, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $345.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $349.96. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $239.71 and a 12 month high of $408.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.64.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $6.22. The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.07 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%. As a group, analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 4th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 196,931 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.46, for a total transaction of $3,832,277.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total transaction of $28,257.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 19,076 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,494,424.20. The trade was a 0.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 441,399 shares of company stock worth $8,677,053. 11.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology and internet services company best known as the parent company of Google. Its primary business, Google Services, includes online search, digital advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and a range of hardware and subscription products.

Alphabet also operates Google Cloud, which provides infrastructure, data analytics, cybersecurity, productivity software, and artificial intelligence services to businesses, governments, and other organizations.

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