Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Stock Sold by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 6.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 108,432 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 7,018 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $36,947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Denali Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 105,988 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $37,449,000 after purchasing an additional 13,700 shares during the period. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 2,850 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 298.2% during the second quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,229 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $7,854,000 after acquiring an additional 16,647 shares during the last quarter. Montchanin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 1st quarter worth about $7,075,000. Finally, Sax Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 3,575 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total transaction of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,125,015.20. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 82 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.71, for a total transaction of $27,692.22. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,995 shares in the company, valued at $6,414,801.45. This trade represents a 0.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 441,316 shares of company stock worth $8,648,795 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google launched Gemini 4 Argon, describing it as its most advanced model to date, with reported improvements in coding, cybersecurity and complex professional workflows. The release initially supported Alphabet shares and helped reassure investors that Google remains competitive with OpenAI and Anthropic. Reuters Gemini 4 Argon article
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan maintained an “Overweight” rating, while other analysts continue to cite Alphabet’s strong cash position, profitable Search and YouTube businesses, and growing Google Cloud operations as reasons to remain bullish. A recent analyst compilation showed a median price target of $425 for GOOGL, above current levels. Invezz analyst outlook article
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is beginning an in-orbit test of its Tensor Processing Units through Project Suncatcher, a long-term initiative aimed at developing space-based AI infrastructure. The project is strategically notable, although it is unlikely to affect near-term earnings. CNBC Project Suncatcher article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and momentum-focused research continue to view Alphabet favorably, supported by strong advertising, subscriptions, cloud growth and AI-driven engagement. Zacks momentum article
• Neutral Sentiment: Gemini 4 Argon is being rolled out gradually, initially to selected cybersecurity organizations, as Google addresses safety concerns. Limited availability may reduce immediate revenue impact but could improve adoption confidence over time. Wall Street Journal AI rollout article
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain skeptical about whether Argon’s benchmark results will translate into superior real-world performance. Reports of internal employee doubts and the model’s delayed launch have tempered the initial enthusiasm. Yahoo Finance internal skepticism article
• Negative Sentiment: Google is challenging an EU order that could require it to share search data with AI rivals. The litigation may protect Alphabet’s platform advantages, but it also extends regulatory uncertainty and raises the risk of compliance costs or weaker competitive barriers. Reuters EU regulatory article
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet’s heavy AI infrastructure spending is intensifying concerns about capital returns and free-cash-flow pressure. Separately, Pershing Square reportedly sold its Alphabet position to buy Microsoft, while recent insider activity has consisted largely of sales. Motley Fool Ackman article

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG stock traded down $6.46 during trading on Thursday, reaching $334.27. 9,563,386 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,539,844. The company has a quick ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $341.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $345.13. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $236.68 and a twelve month high of $404.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.09 trillion, a PE ratio of 16.78, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.21.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The company had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $116.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.55 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush started coverage on Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $445.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $420.00 price target (down from $435.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, August 3rd. New Street Research decreased their target price on shares of Alphabet from $455.00 to $405.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Citic Securities boosted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $430.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $419.93.

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent company of Google. Established in 2015 through a corporate restructuring, Alphabet oversees Google and a collection of businesses focused on technology, innovation and emerging industries. Sundar Pichai serves as Alphabet’s chief executive officer and also leads Google.

Google is Alphabet’s primary business and operates an internet ecosystem that includes Google Search, online advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and Google Photos.