East Coast Asset Management LLC. Sells 30,153 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

East Coast Asset Management LLC. lessened its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 15.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 165,966 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 30,153 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up approximately 15.7% of East Coast Asset Management LLC.’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. East Coast Asset Management LLC.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $47,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Eley Financial Management Inc grew its position in Alphabet by 9.3% in the first quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc now owns 25,060 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $7,189,000 after acquiring an additional 2,133 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 22.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 420,149 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $120,524,000 after purchasing an additional 77,536 shares during the last quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd now owns 5,307 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,522,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Torno Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 1st quarter valued at $71,715,000. Finally, Mittelman Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 1st quarter valued at $417,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.28, for a total value of $39,343.36. Following the sale, the director owned 18,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,615,656.24. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 118,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.90, for a total transaction of $2,232,808.20. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 600,465 shares of company stock worth $16,228,202. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $425.00 target price (up from $405.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $450.00 price target on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Phillip Securities raised Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $475.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $410.09.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly fundamentals are supporting the rebound. Alphabet reported 24.2% year-over-year revenue growth to $119.8 billion, while Google Cloud revenue surged 82% and Search grew 17%. Analysts continue to see substantial long-term growth from AI adoption, cloud demand and advertising. Alphabet quarterly performance
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly bullish. Alphabet retains a “Buy” consensus, with reported price targets well above recent trading levels. Phillip Securities upgraded the stock to “strong buy,” while some analysts raised longer-term EPS estimates. Alphabet analyst ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional demand provides a counterweight to recent selling. Asset Management One added approximately 117,000 GOOGL shares, and Ethic Inc. disclosed a new position worth an estimated $227.5 million in Alphabet’s Class A shares. These moves reinforce the view that the pullback may offer a long-term entry point. Institutional Alphabet holdings
• Neutral Sentiment: AI investment remains the key investor debate. Alphabet’s $195 billion–$205 billion 2026 capital-expenditure outlook is intended to support rapidly expanding cloud and AI demand, but the spending has pressured free cash flow and increased expectations for future monetization.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory liabilities are growing. Following a $1 billion European Digital Markets Act fine, rivals may seek up to $10 billion in private damages, potentially adding financial and operational pressure to Google’s European businesses. European lawsuits against Google
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and fund selling remain caution signals. Alphabet’s chief accounting officer sold shares, while Provident Trust and Resona Asset Management reduced their GOOG positions. These transactions are relatively small or portfolio-related, but they may weigh on sentiment after the earnings-driven pullback.

Alphabet Price Performance

NASDAQ GOOG opened at $335.76 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $357.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $337.75. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $188.70 and a twelve month high of $404.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 16.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a current ratio of 2.72.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The company’s revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.31 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.15 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.42%.

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.