Marathon Asset Management Ltd Has $13.72 Million Stock Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Marathon Asset Management Ltd reduced its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 75.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,316 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 175,436 shares during the quarter. Marathon Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $13,716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Higgins & Schmidt Wealth Strategies LLC increased its stake in Alphabet by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Higgins & Schmidt Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $443,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Meritas Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Meritas Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,458 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 7,208 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,756,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Falcon Wealth Planning increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.4% in the third quarter. Falcon Wealth Planning now owns 11,881 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,894,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co of the South raised its holdings in Alphabet by 0.5% during the third quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 8,800 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,143,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Stores Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum — market chatter centers on Gemini rollouts and product integrations that are boosting search, YouTube engagement and cloud demand, which investors see as durable monetization drivers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strong 2025 results — last quarter’s revenue and EPS beats and a 2025 rally have shifted sentiment toward growth, underpinning current valuations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets — multiple firms have raised price targets (including a recent $385 call), supporting upside expectations and multiple expansion. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic infrastructure moves — the Intersect acquisition (~$4.75B) and investments in data‑center/energy infrastructure bolster Google Cloud’s long‑term capacity and margin outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional conviction — large additions from firms like UBS and Berkshire signal durable investor confidence and can stabilize the stock amid short-term volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Re‑rating dynamics — Alphabet is increasingly valued like an AI growth name; that supports higher targets but makes the stock more sensitive to AI execution and capex signals. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader tech exposure (quantum etc.) — Alphabet’s work in quantum and other emerging areas provides optionality but is longer‑dated and not yet earnings‑driving. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — recent director and senior-executive stock sales have created headline risk and can pressure sentiment in the short term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory overhang — reports of a DOJ interest/probe tied to company policies remain an overhang that could amplify volatility if escalated. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term growth sensitivity — some analysts warn EPS growth may slow in 2026 as Alphabet ramps AI investments; that raises the importance of Cloud revenue acceleration to meet street expectations. Read More.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.15, for a total transaction of $8,129,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,369,619 shares in the company, valued at $592,760,192.85. This represents a 1.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total transaction of $5,614,173.81. Following the transaction, the insider owned 42,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,531,453.08. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 195,465 shares of company stock valued at $57,056,497. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on Alphabet from $280.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $275.00 target price on shares of Alphabet and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Phillip Securities raised shares of Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Scotiabank set a $336.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Alphabet from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Seven 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $313.04.

Alphabet Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of GOOG opened at $313.80 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $301.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $243.30. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $142.66 and a one year high of $328.67. The company has a market cap of $3.79 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.09.

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. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.00% and a net margin of 32.23%.The company had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were 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 was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 8.28%.

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.