Providence First Trust Co Sells 4,369 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Providence First Trust Co lessened its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 20.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 16,806 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 4,369 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up 1.4% of Providence First Trust Co’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Providence First Trust Co’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $4,093,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Robbins Farley raised its holdings in Alphabet by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 160 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. WestEnd Advisors LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 58.7% during the second quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 165 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Fairman Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 121.3% during the second quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on GOOG. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on Alphabet from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Alphabet from $300.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $327.13.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.6%

GOOG stock opened at $333.59 on Tuesday. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $142.66 and a 52 week high of $341.20. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $317.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $262.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $4.03 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.09.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.58. The firm had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.12 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.28%.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.26, for a total transaction of $800,786.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 11,739 shares in the company, valued at $3,383,884.14. The trade was a 19.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total value of $5,614,173.81. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 42,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,531,453.08. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 225,187 shares of company stock valued at $69,365,318 over the last three months. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mirae Asset added roughly 319,164 shares of GOOGL (~$100M), signaling institutional buying interest into Alphabet. Fund Update: Mirae Asset Global Investments Co., Ltd. Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Needham/Laura Martin reaffirmed a Buy rating and maintained a ~$330 price target, giving Wall Street validation for continued upside. Alphabet’s Enduring Ad Moat: Why OpenAI’s Emerging Ad Model Supports a Buy Rating on GOOGL
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat coverage of Pelosi’s portfolio shows continued bullish, leveraged exposure to Alphabet (via LEAPS), which is a signal of long-term conviction from a high-profile investor. Pelosi’s Bullish 2026 Buy List: AI, Power & Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: YouTube is now cited as a top social-media source for AI model training, reinforcing Alphabet’s data advantage for AI products and ads (long-term growth driver). Google’s (GOOGL) YouTube Surpasses Reddit as Top Social Media Source for AI Models
• Neutral Sentiment: Daily market recaps report Alphabet shares trading higher versus the broader market, reflecting the net effect of the items below rather than fresh company-specific catalysts. Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Outperforms Broader Market: What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s VC arm participated in AI ecosystem financings (e.g., Synthesia), which supports long-term AI strategy but is peripheral to near-term earnings. Nvidia and Alphabet VC arms back AI startup Synthesia at $4 billion valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet CEO stock sales were reported; such disclosures often trigger short-term attention but are frequently routine or pre-scheduled. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) CEO Sells $10,637,250.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Google agreed to a preliminary $68 million settlement over claims Google Assistant unlawfully recorded users — reputational and legal headwinds, though the payout is small versus Alphabet’s size; judge approval is pending. Google pays $68 million to settle claims its voice assistant spied on users
• Negative Sentiment: Emerging ad models from rivals (e.g., OpenAI/ChatGPT ad initiatives) and continued product launches from hyperscalers (Microsoft’s Maia 200 chip) increase competitive pressure on ad and cloud margins over time. ChatGPT Ad Model’s Potential to Shatter META & GOOGL Duopoly

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.