Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 13,980 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• Verdence Capital Advisors increased its Alphabet stake by 36.9% in the third quarter, acquiring 13,980 additional shares for a total of 51,830 shares valued at approximately $17.7 million.
• Alphabet’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations, with EPS of $2.12 versus the $3.01 consensus and revenue of $127.58 billion versus $127.97 billion expected, despite 24.7% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, assigning the stock a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $413.54, while investors weigh strong cloud and AI growth against heavy spending and cash-flow concerns.

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 36.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,830 shares of the information services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 13,980 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $17,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOG. National Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 56.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,908 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,332,000 after purchasing an additional 1,413 shares during the last quarter. AGH Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. AGH Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,906 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $2,694,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Solitude Financial Services lifted its stake in Alphabet by 3.0% in the third quarter. Solitude Financial Services now owns 6,089 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $2,075,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.8% during the third quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp now owns 174,753 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $59,545,000 after buying an additional 4,689 shares during the period. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Alphabet by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 117,868 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $40,162,000 after acquiring an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG stock opened at $278.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a market capitalization of $3.40 trillion, a P/E ratio of 14.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.19. The business's 50 day moving average is $335.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $338.25. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $271.41 and a 12-month high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The information services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.01 by ($0.89). Alphabet had a return on equity of 43.33% and a net margin of 50.03%. The company had revenue of $127.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $127.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.87 EPS. Alphabet's revenue was up 24.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.40 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total value of $28,257.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 19,076 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,494,424.20. This represents a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 247 shares of company stock valued at $79,238. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GOOG. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $413.54.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud delivered exceptional growth. Revenue more than doubled year over year to approximately $30.7 billion, while operating margins expanded and the backlog reached roughly $561 billion. This supports the view that Alphabet’s AI investments are generating demand. Alphabet Cloud Business Article
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s AI platform may create new revenue streams. OpenAI reportedly plans to use Google’s tensor-processing units, while Gemini performance and expanding AI Search advertising could help Alphabet compete in the AI infrastructure market. Analysts including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan remain constructive, despite lowering price targets. OpenAI Google AI Chips Article
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation has become more attractive. Reports place GOOG’s price-to-earnings ratio near 14.6, the lowest level in many years, prompting some investors to characterize the selloff as a potential long-term buying opportunity. Google Valuation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo is expanding internationally. Alphabet’s autonomous-driving unit will test Toyota bZ4X robotaxis in Japan and the U.K., but the business remains small and cash-burning. Waymo Toyota Partnership Article
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly results missed expectations. Alphabet reported approximately $2.12 in earnings per share and $127.6 billion in revenue, below consensus forecasts. Search revenue grew but missed estimates, and AI-powered searches are reportedly harder to monetize than traditional searches. Alphabet Search Earnings Article
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is straining cash flow. Capital expenditures and infrastructure commitments pushed free cash flow approximately $9 billion negative for the quarter, raising concerns about returns on Alphabet’s enormous AI investment program and potential financing or dilution. Tech Giants AI Spending Article
• Negative Sentiment: Additional earnings pressure came from investments and legal risk. An unrealized loss on Alphabet’s SpaceX stake reduced earnings, while multiple law firms publicized securities class-action deadlines tied to alleged AI disclosures. These lawsuits are largely investor notices, but they add reputational and headline risk. Alphabet Class Action Notice

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent organization of Google. Founded in 2015 through a corporate restructuring, Alphabet oversees Google and a collection of businesses focused on technology, online services, communications, artificial intelligence, and other emerging areas.

Google's principal products and services include its internet search engine, digital advertising platforms, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Workspace. The company also provides cloud computing, data storage, cybersecurity, productivity, and artificial intelligence services through Google Cloud.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.