Merit Financial Group LLC Buys 38,740 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Alphabet by 25% in Q4, buying 38,740 shares to hold 193,757 shares valued at about $60.8 million at quarter-end.
• Alphabet announced a strategic AI partnership with Anthropic — a commitment of up to $40 billion (including $10B now and up to $30B contingent on milestones) — which has driven analyst upgrades and a MarketBeat consensus rating of Buy with a $351.73 target.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently, disposing of 2,037,294 shares (~$94.2 million) over the past three months, though insiders still hold about 12.99% of the stock.

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 25.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 193,757 shares of the information services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 38,740 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $60,801,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the 4th 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 bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1,438.5% during the 4th 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 currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on GOOG shares. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, April 20th. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 price target on Alphabet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $348.00 price target (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $351.73.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google confirmed a planned up to $40 billion commitment to AI startup Anthropic — $10B invested now and up to $30B contingent on performance — signaling a deep strategic partnership that should drive Google Cloud revenue, TPU demand and long‑term AI market share. PYMNTS: Google Doubles Down on Anthropic
• Positive Sentiment: Market and media reaction pushed GOOGL coverage higher today: outlets and traders flagged the deal as bullish for Google Cloud, TPU sales and infrastructure partners, contributing to the stock uptick. Blockonomi: Stock Climbs on $40B Anthropic Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s recent fundamentals and AI product momentum (Gemini, TPU launches, Cloud partnerships) give investors confidence the Anthropic deal can translate into higher monetization and ad/search engagement — analysts have raised targets and reiterated buys ahead of Q1 earnings. ProactiveInvestors: Buy Rating Ahead of Q1
• Neutral Sentiment: The additional $30B is contingent on milestones — positive if targets are met, but it spreads the cash out over time and ties part of the commitment to execution risk and market conditions. TechCrunch: Google to Invest Up to $40B in Anthropic
• Neutral Sentiment: Global AI competition is intensifying (including from Chinese players) — this validates demand but keeps pricing and product dynamics uncertain. Yahoo Finance: China’s DeepSeek Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: the EU is pressing Google to give AI rivals access to Android features — any mandated access could weaken parts of Google’s mobile moat and limit competitive advantage for Gemini on Android. PYMNTS: EU Pressure on Android Access
• Negative Sentiment: Scale of AI spending and infrastructure roll‑outs raises CapEx and free‑cash‑flow pressure; investors should watch upcoming Q1 results and FCF guidance for signs the investments are converting into profitable growth. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Preview — CapEx Risks

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 955 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total transaction of $284,590.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,955,564. This represents a 8.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the company'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 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 2,037,294 shares of company stock valued at $94,216,897 over the last three months. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $342.32 on Monday. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $149.49 and a twelve month high of $350.15. The stock's 50 day moving average is $308.26 and its 200-day moving average is $305.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.14 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.13.

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. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The company had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.15 earnings per share. Alphabet's revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 11.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.77%.

About Alphabet

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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