Altfest L J & Co. Inc. lessened its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,904 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 3,866 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 0.8% of Altfest L J & Co. Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Altfest L J & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $6,873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 56.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 218 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Lynch Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet
In other Alphabet news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.92, for a total value of $9,877,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,818,524 shares in the company, valued at $856,605,814.08. The trade was a 1.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 2,068,744 shares of company stock valued at $104,505,914 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
GOOG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $348.00 price objective (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 price target (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Alphabet from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $315.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $346.03.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Alphabet
Key Alphabet News
Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Reports say Google is in talks with the U.S. Department of Defense to allow its Gemini models to be used in classified settings — a potential large, high‑visibility contract that would expand Alphabet’s government AI footprint and validate Gemini for sensitive enterprise use. Google, Pentagon discuss classified AI deal, the Information reports
- Positive Sentiment: QuiverQuant flags a large institutional buying update: SG Americas reportedly added ~9.8M GOOGL shares in its 13F — a sign of meaningful institutional demand. Fund Update: SG Americas Securities, LLC Just Disclosed New Holdings
- Positive Sentiment: Alphabet signed a long‑term energy supply deal (NiSource) to power a large Indiana data center — reduces power risk for hyperscale operations and supports cloud/AI capacity growth. NiSource signs long-term power deal with Alphabet, expands Amazon agreement
- Positive Sentiment: Product momentum: Google announced personalized image generation tied to Gemini and new features (Nano Banana) — tangible AI product rollouts that support user engagement and future monetization paths. Google will let users connect their photos to the Gemini chatbot and Nano Banana
- Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnerships (e.g., Thoma Bravo) and analyst/upside coverage highlight enterprise AI/Cyber expansion — supports longer‑term revenue diversification beyond ads. Alphabet Faces Legal Pressures While Pursuing Enterprise AI Growth Potential
- Neutral Sentiment: Several bullish analyst and retail pieces reiterate Alphabet as a top long‑term growth/AI pick — helpful for sentiment but largely opinion‑driven. Why Alphabet (GOOGL) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
- Neutral Sentiment: Price forecasts from ML models and ranking lists (Finbold, Motley Fool) are circulating — they draw attention but are speculative and not a primary driver of fundamentals. Machine learning algorithm predicts Google stock price on April 30, 2026
- Negative Sentiment: The EU’s Digital Markets Act proposals would force Google to share detailed search/ranking/click data with rivals — a material regulatory risk that could weaken search defensibility and ad targeting advantages. Google should allow third-party search engines access to data, EU says
- Negative Sentiment: Alphabet is guiding toward higher AI capex for 2026 (data center, custom silicon, energy costs) — analysts warn this could compress margins and free cash flow in the near term. Alphabet Shares Rise 7% YTD: Buy, Sell, or Hold the GOOGL Stock?
- Negative Sentiment: Ongoing legal and antitrust pressures (Android/App distribution suits, advertiser arbitration) and some asset managers trimming positions add regulatory/legal downside and selling signals. Alphabet Faces Legal Pressures While Pursuing Enterprise AI Growth Potential
Alphabet Price Performance
Shares of GOOG opened at $339.40 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.11 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.40, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.13. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.40 and a 1-year high of $350.15. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $305.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $302.30. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.15 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Alphabet Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. Alphabet's payout ratio is presently 7.77%.
Alphabet Company Profile
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Free Report)
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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