Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Shares Down 2.2% on Insider Selling

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares were down 2.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $329.37 and last traded at $333.34. Approximately 33,419,653 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 54% from the average daily volume of 21,672,701 shares. The stock had previously closed at $340.70.

Specifically, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 933 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.55, for a total transaction of $314,001.15. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,337,229.80. The trade was a 8.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total value of $34,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,224,380. This trade represents a 0.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GOOG shares. Rosenblatt Securities set a $279.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised Alphabet from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $315.00 to $400.00 in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.83.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waymo’s large $16B funding round and $126B valuation increase optionality beyond ads, supporting Alphabet’s long-term growth story outside core search advertising. Waymo announces $16 billion fundraising round
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud is landing multi-year AI contracts and commercial deployments (Liberty Global, Humana), validating Gemini monetization and enterprise demand for cloud AI. Google Cloud, Liberty Global strike five-year AI partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets ahead of earnings reflect strong conviction in Search/Cloud/AI revenue leverage — a supportive backdrop if results meet expectations. Top Mizuho Analyst Raises Alphabet (GOOGL) Stock Price Target Ahead of Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings due after the close are the main near-term driver — options imply a sizable post-earnings move, so volatility could increase regardless of direction. Alphabet to report earnings: AI, ad momentum key to the fourth quarter
• Neutral Sentiment: Prediction markets and previews emphasize heavy AI focus (Ironwood TPU, Gemini 3/Gemini integrations and YouTube Shorts metrics) — investor reaction will hinge on commentary and guidance about AI monetization. Topics To Watch In Google’s Earnings Call
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and some institutional selling (CAO share sale; certain funds trimmed positions) is weighing on sentiment given the stock’s elevated valuation. SEC insider filing
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term headwinds: articles flagging high valuation and the risk of a pullback if AI monetization or ad growth disappoints, and a reported AI agent shock briefly sparked tech selling earlier today — raising sensitivity to any weak guidance. Why Google Stock Faces A Near-Term Pullback AI agent shock set off NVDA, GOOGL dip
• Negative Sentiment: Collateral risks to YouTube/TV distribution (recent Disney-related hit) and regulatory/legal developments (ongoing DOJ appeals) could add refrains of uncertainty for ad and partner-revenue trends. Disney YouTube TV hit

Alphabet Trading Down 2.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The business’s 50-day moving average is $321.78 and its 200 day moving average is $269.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.10.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 8.28%.

Institutional Trading of Alphabet

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Ring Mountain Capital LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 919 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avaii Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,437 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.