Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Director Sells $31,971.90 in Stock

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.45, for a total value of $31,971.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,205 shares in the company, valued at $5,706,357.25. The trade was a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Frances Arnold also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, December 1st, Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of Alphabet stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.66, for a total value of $32,401.32.
• On Thursday, October 30th, Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of Alphabet stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.80, for a total transaction of $32,681.60.

Alphabet Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of GOOG traded down $0.75 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $313.80. 10,791,995 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 23,549,395. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $142.66 and a fifty-two week high of $328.67. The business has a 50-day moving average of $298.73 and a 200-day moving average of $242.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.79 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.58. The firm had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.00% and a net margin of 32.23%.The company’s revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter worth $32,000. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 400.0% during the second quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Robbins Farley grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 60.0% during the second quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 160 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $40,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stores Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI adoption and product momentum — Google’s Gemini integration and other AI rollouts helped drive a sharp YTD rally and stronger ad/cloud engagement that investors view as durable upside for Search, YouTube and Cloud monetization. Google wraps up best year on Wall Street since 2009, beating megacap peers as AI story strengthens
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — Several firms have raised targets (including a new $385 target), lifting Street sentiment and providing technical upside catalysts. New Analyst Forecast: $GOOGL Given $385 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic M&A to bolster infrastructure — Alphabet agreed to buy Intersect (data‑center/energy infra) for ~$4.75B in cash, strengthening its data center and energy footprint that supports cloud and AI scale. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) Acquires Intersection of $4.75 Billion, Here’s What You Need to Know
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional demand — Major investors (including Berkshire Hathaway and UBS asset management) added sizeable positions in 2025, a bullish vote of confidence that can support price momentum. Alphabet Inc. Stock (GOOGL) Opinions on AI Innovations and Legal Wins
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical and options flow — Short‑term traders note strong outperformance versus the sector and elevated options activity; that can amplify moves but may not change fundamentals. Options Corner: Alphabet (GOOGL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Re‑rating to an AI growth multiple — Investors are valuing GOOGL more like an AI‑growth name, which supports higher targets but increases sensitivity to execution and capex. Alphabet Isn’t a Search and Ad Company Anymore. Now It’s Valued Like an AI Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Senior exec John Kent Walker disclosed a sale of 17,829 shares at about $314.89, a signal some investors watch as a modest near‑term headwind for sentiment. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Insider Sells 17,829 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and earnings execution risks — Reports of a DOJ probe related to policies and analyst warnings that heavy AI investments could slow EPS growth in 2026 add risk that could amplify volatility. Trump’s Justice Department probes Google, Verizon over DEI policies, citing fraud law: report Google’s 2026 Test: Slowing EPS Will Put Cloud Growth In The Spotlight

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on GOOG shares. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Raymond James Financial set a $275.00 target price on Alphabet and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $260.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Loop Capital upgraded shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $313.04.

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.