Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Stock Sold by HBW Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• HBW Advisory Services cut its Alphabet position by 7.2% in the third quarter, selling 1,789 shares and retaining 22,947 shares valued at approximately $7.9 million.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial at 40.03%, with major investors including State Street, Amundi, Mitsubishi UFJ and Swiss National Bank increasing their holdings; insiders have sold 420,865 shares over the past 90 days.
• Alphabet reported quarterly results well above analyst expectations, while analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating and a $425.04 price target. Shares opened at $340.59, down 2.5%, amid continued concerns over AI spending, capital expenditures and related litigation risks.

HBW Advisory Services LLC trimmed its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 7.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,947 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 1,789 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up approximately 0.8% of HBW Advisory Services LLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. HBW Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $7,896,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Alphabet by 5.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 238,977,259 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $85,403,303,000 after purchasing an additional 12,718,127 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 45,394,474 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $14,208,470,000 after buying an additional 208,362 shares during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 33,203,350 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $11,865,809,000 after buying an additional 1,457,371 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 17,724,321 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $6,334,186,000 after buying an additional 1,631,721 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 17,079,800 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $4,911,467,000 after buying an additional 1,139,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the business's 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 sale, the director directly owned 19,076 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,494,424.20. The trade was a 0.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 196,931 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.46, for a total transaction of $3,832,277.26. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 420,865 shares of company stock valued at $8,293,477. Corporate insiders own 11.61% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $340.59 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.17 trillion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.21. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $344.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $351.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a current ratio of 2.72. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $244.15 and a 52-week high of $408.61.

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

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Monday, September 7th were given 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.42%.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on GOOGL shares. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Alphabet from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $420.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Alphabet from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 target price on Alphabet and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $440.00 target price (up from $435.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Five investment 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $425.04.

Alphabet Company 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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