Sanders Capital LLC Sells 124,959 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Sanders Capital trimmed its Alphabet stake by 124,959 shares (0.5%) in the third quarter, but still held 27.35 million shares worth about $9.32 billion, making GOOG its second-largest position.
• Alphabet’s latest quarter showed revenue up 24.7% year over year to $127.58 billion, just below estimates, while EPS of $2.12 missed the $3.01 consensus.
• Investors see growth potential in Google Cloud and AI, but remain concerned about AI’s effect on Search and the cost and infrastructure demands of data-center expansion.

Sanders Capital LLC lessened its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,347,980 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 124,959 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 9.1% of Sanders Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Sanders Capital LLC owned about 0.22% of Alphabet worth $9,318,551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GOOG. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 14.8% in the second quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 105,988 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $37,449,000 after buying an additional 13,700 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 298.2% in the 2nd quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,229 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $7,854,000 after buying an additional 16,647 shares during the last quarter. Montchanin Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 1st quarter valued at $7,075,000. NBT Bank N.A. acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,537,000. Finally, Sax Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 30,489 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $10,773,000 after acquiring an additional 3,575 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google’s Cloud, Gemini, advertising and streaming businesses are showing improving demand, according to market commentary. Reports also cite more than 1 billion Gemini app users and rapid Google Cloud growth, supporting the case that AI can create revenue beyond traditional Search. Article: GOOGL Cloud Momentum Clashes with Google Search Concerns
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet disclosed a roughly $548 million Qualcomm stake, which could strengthen its AI data-center supply and technology relationships. Article: Alphabet discloses $548 million worth of Qualcomm stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Google acquired Crusoe’s planned Wyoming data-center site as part of a reported $17 billion expansion, with a pledge to cover the facility’s power costs. More capacity could support AI and cloud growth, while the scale of investment and energy needs add to concerns about spending and infrastructure constraints. Article: Google acquires Wyoming data center site from AI infrastructure firm Crusoe
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s Wing plans to invest up to $125 million in a Texas manufacturing facility, expanding its drone-delivery capacity. It offers longer-term growth potential but is a relatively small, multi-year investment compared with Alphabet’s core businesses. Article: Alphabet's Drone Unit to Invest Up to $125 Million in New Texas Facility
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to question whether AI assistants could weaken Search growth and how effectively Alphabet can monetize AI search. Heavy data-center spending also raises concerns about cash flow, electricity availability and potential regulation. Article: Are the Fears Around Alphabet’s Search Slowdown Warranted?
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms publicized an existing securities class action alleging investor harm during May–July 2026; the claims remain allegations, but the publicity may add a legal overhang. Separately, parents’ claims over an AI chatbot’s alleged role in a student’s suicide attempt raise potential safety and reputational concerns. Article: Google faces claims student used AI chat on US school laptop to plan suicide attempt

Alphabet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $283.93 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $329.78 and its 200-day moving average is $337.01. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $271.41 and a 52-week high of $404.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 2.69 and a current ratio of 2.79. The company has a market cap of $3.47 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.21.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.01 by ($0.89). Alphabet had a net margin of 50.03% and a return on equity of 43.33%. The company had revenue of $127.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $127.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.87 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 19.80 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 14th. Investors of record on Monday, December 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 7th. Alphabet's payout ratio is currently 4.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Phillip Securities raised Alphabet from a "moderate buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $450.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Monday, July 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Alphabet from $440.00 to $435.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "buy" rating and set a $475.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $413.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 19,076 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,494,424.20. This represents a 0.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 247 shares of company stock valued at $79,238. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

About Alphabet

Alphabet is a technology holding company whose primary business is Google. Founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google became part of Alphabet when the company adopted a holding-company structure in 2015. Sundar Pichai leads Alphabet and Google as chief executive officer.

Google offers internet search, online advertising, cloud computing, and software and hardware products. Its services and products include Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Cloud.

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