Scott & Selber Inc. Has $21.83 Million Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Scott & Selber Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 69,577 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 2,416 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for approximately 5.5% of Scott & Selber Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Scott & Selber Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $21,833,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,410 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 239.7% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 63,128 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $11,198,000 after purchasing an additional 44,546 shares during the period. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 3,220 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 377 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 36.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 352,961 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $62,922,000 after purchasing an additional 93,644 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on GOOG shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, December 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Alphabet from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded Alphabet from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Nine investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $345.71.

Alphabet Stock Down 3.1%

GOOG stock opened at $280.74 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $314.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $294.73. The stock has a market cap of $3.40 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.97, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $142.66 and a twelve month high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The company had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.15 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 7.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum — Google’s Gemini upgrades and other AI improvements are boosting Search engagement and product monetization potential, supporting the longer-term ad and cloud growth thesis. Analysts and AI-focused commentary highlight upside from AI-driven search/product improvements. Zacks: Alphabet Relies on AI to Boost Search Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/institutional support — Some firms have nudged up FY EPS estimates and price targets (Erste, MarketBeat coverage of broad analyst upgrades), reflecting confidence in cloud, search and Gemini monetization — a stabilizing factor for long-term holders. MarketBeat: Analyst Optimism and Upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational milestones — Waymo and DeepMind deals (robotics, AD miles) show execution in adjacent growth areas; positive for long-term optionality but limited near-term revenue impact. These are credibility wins but not big drivers of current quarter results. Blockonomi: Waymo Milestone
• Negative Sentiment: Landmark liability verdicts — A Los Angeles jury found Google (YouTube) liable in a youth social-media addiction case; the ruling is being framed as a bellwether that could spur more suits and regulatory scrutiny. Investors are pricing in higher legal/regulatory risk and potential compliance costs, which has pressured the stock today. Reuters: US jury verdicts tee up fight over tech liability shield
• Negative Sentiment: Sector spillover from AI/chip headlines — Google researchers’ memory-compression news (and the related debate) has sparked volatility across memory/chip suppliers; that throws a short-term cold shower on tech sentiment and can drive indiscriminate selling in megacaps despite the company being the source of the innovation. CNBC: Google AI breakthrough pressures memory chip stocks

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.99, for a total value of $33,934.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,580,469.82. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 955 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total value of $284,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,955,564. The trade was a 8.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,110,165 shares of company stock valued at $118,134,117. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Company 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.