Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Stock Position Reduced by First Merchants Corp

Key Points

• First Merchants reduced its Alphabet position by 3.7% in the third quarter, selling 6,695 shares and retaining 172,504 shares valued at approximately $59.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own about 40.03% of GOOGL.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Alphabet receiving an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $425.04; several firms recently raised or maintained targets between $400 and $425.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, including $9.11 in EPS and $119.8 billion in revenue, but investors continue to monitor heavy AI and data-center spending, potential pressure on free cash flow, regulatory risks and litigation-related concerns.

First Merchants Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 172,504 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 6,695 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up about 2.0% of First Merchants Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. First Merchants Corp's holdings in Alphabet were worth $59,355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in GOOGL. Davidson Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 2.4% in the third quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,592 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $6,053,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the period. Echo Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 13.8% during the third quarter. Echo Wealth Management LLC now owns 840 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.2% during the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 24,441 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $8,497,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 1.7% during the third quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 6,498 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $2,198,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Saxony Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 13.4% during the third quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC now owns 3,553 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,223,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the period. 40.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on GOOGL. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Alphabet from $395.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $420.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $350.00 target price on Alphabet and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $425.04.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet 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 value of $3,832,277.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total transaction of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 420,865 shares of company stock valued at $8,293,477. Corporate insiders own 11.61% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

NASDAQ:GOOGL opened at $340.59 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 has a market cap of $4.17 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $344.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $351.32. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $244.15 and a 1-year high of $408.61.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $6.22. 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 $117.07 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.55 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 7th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet's payout ratio is presently 4.42%.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong cloud and AI momentum: Recent commentary highlights approximately 24% overall revenue growth and an 82% increase in Google Cloud, suggesting that cloud demand and AI monetization may be offsetting concerns about rising capital expenditures. Alphabet’s Cloud Surge and AI Dominance Overshadow Capex Fears
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan remains bullish: JPMorgan raised its Alphabet price target to $425 from $420 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying significant upside from the referenced price. The firm believes Google can withstand fears that generative AI will disrupt Search. JPMorgan Alphabet Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo expansion: Alphabet’s autonomous-driving unit received approval to participate in Ontario’s automated-vehicle pilot program and is targeting a Toronto robotaxi launch in 2028, expanding a potential long-term growth business. Waymo Toronto Robotaxi Launch
• Positive Sentiment: Additional product and technology catalysts: Google launched its Universal Cart shopping tool in the U.S., while reports of progress in quantum-computing error reduction and a multiyear CNN AI partnership support Alphabet’s efforts to broaden AI-related revenue.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is elevated: Zacks reported unusually heavy searches for both GOOGL and GOOG, reflecting strong interest but not necessarily a change in fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Capex and profitability concerns: Investors remain concerned that Alphabet’s large data-center and AI investments could pressure free cash flow and take time to generate adequate returns. A reported multibillion-dollar computing arrangement with SpaceX adds to scrutiny of spending discipline.
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation over AI disclosures: Several law firms publicized a securities-fraud class action covering investors who bought shares from May 19 through July 16, 2026. The allegations reportedly involve representations about Gemini 3.5 Pro training results; the repeated notices add headline and potential liability risk, although they do not establish wrongdoing.
• Negative Sentiment: Other risks: Google warned that suspected China-linked hackers could exploit a BeyondTrust software flaw, while political and regulatory uncertainty could affect Search, advertising and the profits funding Alphabet’s AI buildout.

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known for its Google subsidiary. Google operates a global internet-services business centered on online search, digital advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and a broad range of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools.

Google Cloud provides infrastructure, data analytics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and enterprise software services to businesses, governments, and other organizations. Alphabet also develops consumer hardware, including Pixel devices and products for connected homes, while investing in emerging businesses through its “Other Bets” segment, including autonomous transportation and life sciences initiatives.

Alphabet was established in 2015 as part of a corporate restructuring that made Google a subsidiary and provided a separate structure for its expanding portfolio of businesses.

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