B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Cuts Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG reduced its Alphabet stake by 5.5% in the second quarter, selling 16,686 shares and retaining 289,377 shares valued at approximately $102.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 27.26% of Alphabet.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with revenue up 24.2% year over year to $119.8 billion and EPS of $9.11, exceeding estimates. Analysts maintain an overall “Buy” rating with an average price target of $415.55.
• AI expansion remains a key growth catalyst, but investors are weighing Alphabet’s heavy AI-related capital spending, regulatory restrictions and insider selling. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lessened its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 5.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 289,377 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 16,686 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 0.9% of B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Alphabet were worth $102,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s AI expansion remains the main bullish catalyst. WeatherNext 3 is being integrated into Search, Maps and Gemini, while new voice-driven Gemini features are rolling out in Gmail, Docs and Keep, creating potential for broader user engagement and monetization. Alphabet Just Gave Search, Maps and Gemini a New AI Advantage
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism is building around Google Cloud, AI services, hardware and long-term earnings growth. Wolfe Research named Alphabet a top pick for 2027, while other coverage highlights strong recent Cloud growth and a median price target well above current trading levels. Alphabet Stock Opinions on Strong Cloud Growth Prospects
• Positive Sentiment: A federal judge declined to force a breakup of Google’s ad-technology business, reducing the most severe regulatory risk, although operational restrictions remain. The decision also supports Alphabet’s ability to retain its existing ad-tech infrastructure. Google Spared From Ad-Business Breakup
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s clean-energy partnerships, including Google-backed battery storage and geothermal projects, strengthen power availability for data centers but are unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Google’s New Energy Project Gives Eos Energy a Key Technology Validation
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Alphabet’s roughly $44.9 billion quarterly capital expenditure pushed free cash flow negative for the first time since its IPO. The spending may support future AI and Cloud returns, but it increases execution risk and weighs on near-term valuation. 3 Stocks Built for Higher Rates
• Negative Sentiment: Stronger-than-expected employment data lifted Treasury yields and reduced expectations for near-term rate cuts, pressuring large technology stocks. Alphabet also faces investor concern over delayed Gemini releases, ongoing ad-tech remedies, and shareholder securities-fraud investigations. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Alphabet

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total transaction of $149,606.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 118,138 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.90, for a total transaction of $2,232,808.20. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 451,925 shares of company stock valued at $12,371,544 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GOOG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $415.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $379.00 target price (down from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Alphabet from $430.00 to $420.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Pivotal Research boosted their price target on Alphabet from $470.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities started coverage on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $415.55.

Alphabet Stock Performance

GOOG stock opened at $335.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a current ratio of 2.72. The stock's fifty day moving average is $346.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $340.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.10 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.84, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.21. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $232.38 and a 1 year high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. 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 $116.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. Alphabet's quarterly revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.5 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Monday, September 7th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.42%.

Alphabet Profile

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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