Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Acquired by Westpac Banking Corp

Westpac Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 8.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,002 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,504 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises 1.0% of Westpac Banking Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $15,547,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GOOG. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 275,943 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $86,596,000 after buying an additional 2,850 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 298.2% during the 2nd quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,229 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $7,854,000 after acquiring an additional 16,647 shares in the last quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Alphabet by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc. now owns 340,776 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $106,936,000 after acquiring an additional 3,378 shares in the last quarter. Montchanin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the 1st quarter valued at about $7,075,000. Finally, Sax Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 30,489 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $10,773,000 after acquiring an additional 3,575 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI products are broadening Alphabet’s growth story. Google is expanding AI Mode with flight-price tracking, hotel-booking assistance and loyalty-point comparisons, while Gemini’s new “Personal Intelligence” features are making AI assistance more accessible to mainstream users. A potential Gemini 3.8 Flash release and the hiring of former OpenAI executive Barret Zoph further reinforce Alphabet’s competitive AI position. Google AI Mode article
• Positive Sentiment: Cloud momentum and AI infrastructure remain key bullish catalysts. Analysts point to surging Google Cloud revenue, AI adoption and a reported $514 billion backlog as evidence that Alphabet is gaining ground on Microsoft and Amazon. Wolfe Research named Alphabet a top 2027 pick and set a $460 target, citing accelerating cloud growth. Alphabet’s expanded custom-chip relationship with Marvell could also strengthen its TPU ecosystem and reduce reliance on outside suppliers over time. Google Cloud growth article
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical and valuation commentary is broadly supportive but not a new fundamental catalyst. Analysts continue to view GOOG favorably, and technical analysis identifies support near a key moving-average level. However, the stock remains below its 50-day average, suggesting investors are still weighing growth against execution risks. Alphabet technical analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and litigation overhangs persist. Google changed its European spam-policy enforcement to avoid a potential antitrust fine, a concession that may reduce near-term financial risk but could constrain search operations. Alphabet also agreed to a roughly $353 million UK Play Store settlement, while the FTC is reportedly considering a lawsuit over YouTube account suspensions. Multiple law firms separately announced securities-fraud investigations, though these notices do not establish wrongdoing. Google EU spam policy article
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain alert to the cost of the AI race. Reports that major technology companies have approximately $3 trillion in off-balance-sheet AI commitments, alongside Alphabet’s heavy capital spending and negative free cash flow concerns, could pressure future returns if AI monetization lags investment. Big Tech AI spending article

Alphabet Stock Performance

Alphabet stock opened at $342.88 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $347.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $339.97. The stock has a market cap of $4.19 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.64. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.96 and a 1-year high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $116.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total transaction of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. This trade represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 82 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.39, for a total transaction of $27,337.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,305,738.46. This trade represents a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 451,843 shares of company stock worth $12,343,852 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GOOG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Alphabet from $460.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Phillip Securities upgraded Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $475.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 target price (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $415.55.

Alphabet 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.