Prudential PLC Has $175.86 Million Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Prudential PLC increased its stake in Alphabet by 5.1% to 722,087 shares, holdings valued at approximately $175.86 million, representing about 1.3% of Prudential's portfolio and Alphabet's 12th-largest holding.
• Alphabet beat quarterly estimates with $2.82 EPS vs. $2.59 expected and revenue of $113.83 billion (up 18% YoY); the stock has a $3.65 trillion market cap and a consensus "Buy" rating with an average price target of $345.71.
• Alphabet announced a quarterly dividend of $0.21 (annualized $0.84, ~0.3% yield) payable March 16, while insiders have sold roughly 2.11 million shares (~$118.6 million) in the past three months, including a 47,574-share sale by John Kent Walker.

Prudential PLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 5.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 722,087 shares of the information services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 34,860 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for about 1.3% of Prudential PLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Prudential PLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $175,864,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Robinson Smith Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.8% during the third quarter. Robinson Smith Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,070 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Searle & CO. increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Searle & CO. now owns 5,703 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,389,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 5,846 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,424,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,143 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $766,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in Alphabet by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 7,997 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,948,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOG stock opened at $301.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $319.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $289.75. The stock has a market cap of $3.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $142.66 and a 1 year high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion for 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%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.15 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, 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 transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 13,227 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,987,279.15. This represents a 78.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.73, for a total transaction of $184,038.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,325,999.52. This represents a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,112,493 shares of company stock worth $118,605,094. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: GFiber is combining with Astound Broadband with Stonepeak as majority owner while Alphabet keeps a minority stake — this monetizes Google’s fiber asset, reduces future capex burden and leaves Alphabet with upside exposure to a larger independent broadband operator. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)’s Expanding Horizons: AI, Cloud, and Broadband Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Gemini AI is being added to Google Maps via “Ask Maps,” increasing product differentiation and engagement across a high-traffic app — a direct example of AI driving user value and monetization opportunities. Google (GOOGL) Adds Its Gemini AI Model to Google Maps to Allow More Detailed Questions
• Positive Sentiment: Google completed the acquisition of Wiz (~$32B), strengthening cloud security offerings — a strategic tuck-in that can help win larger enterprise cloud deals and justify higher cloud multiple over time. Google Just Closed Its $32 Billion Wiz Deal. How Should You Play GOOGL Stock Here?
• Positive Sentiment: Google changed Android billing rules, cut developer fees and resolved the Epic/Fortnite dispute — removing a legal overhang and improving developer economics for Play Store, which supports long-term app revenue resilience. Google (GOOGL) App Store Brings Back Fortnite, Changes Fee Structure
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals and analyst sentiment remain supportive — recent coverage highlights strong Q4 results, cash-rich balance sheet and a consensus “Buy” tilt with several elevated price targets. This underpins medium-term investor confidence. Alphabet Q4: A Fairly Valued Tech Titan To Buy Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Social and options flow show heightened bullish conviction around Gemini and cloud, but this is sentiment-driven and can amplify short-term volatility rather than change fundamentals. Alphabet Stock (GOOG) Opinions on Gemini AI Advancements
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short-interest data in feeds appears noisy/invalid and does not signal a meaningful squeeze or covering dynamic at present.
• Negative Sentiment: U.K. regulator warnings on protecting children online increase the risk of tighter rules and compliance costs for big tech — a regulatory backdrop that could pressure valuations if enforcement or new rules accelerate. Big tech given warning - and deadline - by UK regulator

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. DZ Bank raised Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Loop Capital upgraded Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $345.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Alphabet from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $345.71.

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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