W1M Asset Management Ltd Decreases Stock Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

W1M Asset Management Ltd cut its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 16.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 247,250 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 48,041 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for approximately 0.8% of W1M Asset Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. W1M Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $87,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GOOG. Madison Wealth Partners Inc increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 5,198 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 580 shares in the last quarter. Aufman Associates Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 38.5% during the second quarter. Aufman Associates Inc now owns 9,822 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $3,471,000 after purchasing an additional 2,732 shares in the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 8.7% during the second quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 44,002 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $15,547,000 after purchasing an additional 3,504 shares in the last quarter. TRB Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 4.3% during the second quarter. TRB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,336 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,239,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 171.7% during the second quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,785 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $984,000 after buying an additional 1,760 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $387,061.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $545,941.03. This represents a 41.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total transaction of $3,142,911.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 75,290 shares in the company, valued at $26,298,044.10. The trade was a 10.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 451,843 shares of company stock worth $12,343,852. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Alphabet News

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on GOOG. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, July 17th. HSBC set a $515.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Pivotal Research raised their price target on shares of Alphabet from $470.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $415.55.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.5%

Alphabet stock opened at $342.88 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.19 trillion, a PE 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 quick ratio of 2.64 and a current ratio of 2.72. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $206.96 and a one year high of $404.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $347.79 and a 200 day moving average of $339.97.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. The business had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.31 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 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 paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 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.