HBW Advisory Services LLC Buys 6,949 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• HBW Advisory Services increased its Alphabet stake by 45.4% in the third quarter, acquiring 6,949 shares and bringing its holdings to 22,249 shares valued at approximately $7.6 million.
• Alphabet reported strong quarterly results, with revenue up 24.2% year over year to $119.8 billion and EPS of $9.11, substantially exceeding analyst expectations. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $422.10, although insiders have sold shares worth roughly $8.3 million over the past 90 days.

HBW Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 45.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,249 shares of the information services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,949 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for about 0.7% of HBW Advisory Services LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. HBW Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $7,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOG. B.A. Schrock Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $278,000. Nolet Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 2.4% during the third quarter. Nolet Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,684 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,596,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Ashurst Perkins Coie Trust Co lifted its stake in Alphabet by 0.8% during the third quarter. Ashurst Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 9,919 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $3,380,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in Alphabet by 1.7% during the third quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 405,785 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $138,267,000 after purchasing an additional 6,768 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 58.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 128,469 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $43,775,000 after purchasing an additional 47,468 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $344.91 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $341.41 and its 200 day moving average is $348.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.22 trillion, a PE ratio of 17.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.19. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $244.67 and a 1 year high of $404.47. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is 4.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GOOG. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Alphabet from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on Alphabet from $415.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Zacks Research downgraded Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Evercore raised their price objective on Alphabet from $420.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $422.10.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total value of $28,257.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 19,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,494,424.20. This represents a 0.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total value of $149,606.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. This trade represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 420,865 shares of company stock worth $8,293,477. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $425 from $420 and maintained an Overweight rating. The firm cited sustained Google Cloud growth and Alphabet’s ability to remain competitive in artificial intelligence. Alphabet Stocks Rise as JPMorgan Lifts Target on Cloud Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet continues to generate positive AI momentum. Gemini 4 Argon reportedly scored highly on accounting and enterprise benchmarks, while Google demonstrated a quantum-computing technique that could reduce errors significantly. These developments support the company’s positioning against OpenAI, Anthropic and other rivals. Gemini 4 Argon Accounting Benchmark
• Positive Sentiment: New commercial initiatives—including Google’s Universal Cart shopping tool, a multiyear AI partnership with CNN and potential YouTube audiobook offerings—could broaden monetization across Search, Gemini and YouTube. Google Universal Cart Launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are looking ahead to Alphabet’s upcoming earnings, with analysts generally bullish on AI and cloud growth. However, the company’s substantial data-center and AI infrastructure spending raises questions about near-term free cash flow and returns on capital. Alphabet Q3 Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms are promoting a securities class action alleging that Alphabet failed to disclose disappointing Gemini training results. The repeated notices and December lead-plaintiff deadline create a reputational and potential litigation overhang, although they do not represent new operating results. Alphabet Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Google warned that suspected China-linked hackers may exploit a vulnerability in BeyondTrust software, adding cybersecurity and trust concerns. Separately, renewed fears over stretched AI valuations and competition for digital advertising could limit further gains. Google Warns of BeyondTrust Exploitation Risk

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent company of Google. Established in 2015 through a corporate restructuring, Alphabet oversees Google and a collection of businesses focused on technology, innovation and emerging industries. Sundar Pichai serves as Alphabet's chief executive officer and also leads Google.

Google is Alphabet's primary business and operates an internet ecosystem that includes Google Search, online advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and Google Photos.

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