Magnus Financial Group LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Key Points

• Magnus Financial Group LLC reduced its stake in Alphabet by 10.9%, selling 5,047 shares in Q4 and now holds 41,047 shares worth $12,848,000 (about 1.0% of the firm's portfolio and its 25th largest holding).
• Large institutions have been adding to Alphabet — including new positions from Norges Bank and Berkshire Hathaway — and the company recently beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.82 vs. $2.57; revenue $113.83B) with a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a $367.18 price target.
• Insiders have been net sellers, offloading 2,110,165 shares valued at $118.13M in the last quarter, leaving insiders with roughly 11.55% ownership.

Magnus Financial Group LLC reduced its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 10.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,047 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 5,047 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up about 1.0% of Magnus Financial Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Magnus Financial Group LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $12,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter valued at about $21,944,208,000. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $4,338,397,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 17,667.7% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,245,075 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $2,686,640,000 after purchasing an additional 15,159,273 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in Alphabet by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 53,107,572 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $12,910,542,000 after purchasing an additional 11,605,785 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Alphabet by 51.7% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,817,684 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,607,232,000 after purchasing an additional 10,843,853 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Trading Down 3.8%

NASDAQ GOOGL opened at $290.44 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.51 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.10. The stock's 50 day moving average is $316.12 and its 200 day moving average is $294.46. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $140.53 and a twelve month high of $349.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.57 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%. Research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on GOOGL. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Alphabet from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Alphabet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on Alphabet from $279.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. HSBC raised their price target on Alphabet from $335.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group boosted their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $333.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-three have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $367.18.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Expanded commercial AI partnerships that can drive Google Cloud adoption and future revenue: Openreach will use Google Cloud AI to speed UK fibre rollout and cut fleet emissions, signalling enterprise demand for Google’s AI services. Openreach taps Google AI to speed fibre rollout, cut emissions
• Positive Sentiment: Product/customer wins that validate Gemini and robotics strategy: Google’s DeepMind is partnering with Agile Robots to integrate Gemini Robotics models with hardware, and Gap will enable checkout inside Gemini — both are signs of commercial traction for Google’s AI stack. Google partners with Agile Robots, growing its AI robotics footprint Gap becomes the first major fashion company to offer checkout within Google's Gemini
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional / infrastructure deals show adoption but limited immediate impact on margins: BMO and CME are launching a tokenized cash platform with Google Cloud, a strategic enterprise use-case that supports long-term Cloud revenue diversification. BMO to launch tokenized cash platform with CME and Google Cloud
• Neutral Sentiment: New service rollouts expand optionality but are not yet material to revenue: Alphabet’s Wing plans Bay Area drone deliveries, illustrating continued experimentation in logistics and consumer services. Alphabet's Wing to start drone delivery in San Francisco Bay Area
• Neutral Sentiment: Data items on short interest appear inconsistent/zero in the reports provided; treat as unreliable until exchanges confirm filings. (Multiple aggregated short-interest entries)
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and policy scrutiny of AI is a clear near-term risk: the EU competition/antitrust chief is meeting Alphabet’s CEO alongside other Big Tech leaders about AI dominance — increased regulatory oversight could pressure multiples or force business changes. EU antitrust chief meets Google, Meta, OpenAI, Amazon CEOs amidst AI scrutiny
• Negative Sentiment: Market sentiment and news flow are weighing on the stock today: several market pieces highlight the share decline and analyst commentary, which can amplify selling pressure even absent new fundamentals. Alphabet (GOOGL) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market: Important Facts to Note

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total value of $14,341,182.30. Following the sale, the insider owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This represents a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.41, for a total transaction of $318,580.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,405,091.71. This trade represents a 18.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 2,110,165 shares of company stock valued at $118,134,117 in the last quarter. 11.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Alphabet

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google's core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google's consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.

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