Lakehouse Capital Pty Ltd Sells 43,994 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Lakehouse Capital dramatically reduced its stake in Alphabet, selling 43,994 shares to cut its position by 76.6%, leaving 13,449 shares worth about $4.22 million (3.0% of its portfolio).
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a MarketBeat consensus of “Buy” and an average price target of $351.73, while several firms set targets between $360 and $400.
• Despite a Q4 beat (EPS $2.82 vs. $2.59; revenue $113.83B) and bullish AI/cloud catalysts, insiders and major holders have been selling heavily—over 2.0 million shares (~$94.2M) in the past 90 days—raising near‑term governance and sentiment concerns.

Lakehouse Capital Pty Ltd cut its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 76.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,449 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 43,994 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 3.0% of Lakehouse Capital Pty Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Lakehouse Capital Pty Ltd's holdings in Alphabet were worth $4,220,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Towne Trust Company N.A grew its position in Alphabet by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 1,438.5% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 200 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GOOG. KeyCorp set a $370.00 target price on Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 price objective on Alphabet and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $351.73.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $348.52 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.22 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.24, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a fifty day moving average of $309.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $306.19. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.49 and a 52-week high of $350.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a current ratio of 2.01.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The business's revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 11.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $35,060,852.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total value of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at $3,987,279.15. The trade was a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 2,037,294 shares of company stock worth $94,216,897 over the last ninety days. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. Department of Defense added Google’s Gemini for Government models to its secure GenAI.mil platform, a commercial validation that can boost cloud and AI contract momentum for Google Cloud. Benzinga: What's Behind The Boost In Alphabet Stock Today?
• Positive Sentiment: Reports of a large strategic investment/commitment tied to Anthropic (reported as up to $40B) and ongoing cloud commitments have fueled optimism that Alphabet is doubling down on generative-AI partnerships and cloud demand. Blockonomi: Alphabet Surges on $40B Anthropic Investment
• Positive Sentiment: CFRA and other commentators name Alphabet among the best positioned in the “Mag 7” earnings slate because of AI/search strength and cloud tailwinds—supporting a bullish near-term view into earnings. YouTube: Angelo Zino Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and previews expect robust Q1 top-line growth (consensus ~ $107B) with AI and Cloud driving upside, but note the report is a potential catalyst that could swing the stock either way. Seeking Alpha: All-Time Highs May Be Ahead
• Neutral Sentiment: New regional investments—Google and South Korea agreed to build an AI campus in Seoul—strengthen international AI R&D ties and talent pipelines but are longer‑term positives. Reuters: Google to build AI campus in South Korea
• Negative Sentiment: EU regulators are pressing Google to open Android and certain services to AI rivals—followed by guidance on access to Gemini-like services—which raises regulatory compliance costs and potential product changes. TechXplore: EU tells Google to open Android to AI rivals
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and some research warn that rising depreciation and AI-related investments could pressure Q1 EPS and margins in the near term, creating downside risk if earnings miss expectations. Seeking Alpha: Depreciation Pressuring EPS
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling and a notable institutional reduction (PROVIDENT TRUST CO reduced GOOG/GOOGL positions) are red flags for some investors and add selling pressure ahead of earnings. Quiver Quant: Insider & Fund Activity

Alphabet Company 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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