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

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) dropped 2.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $329.37 and last traded at $333.34. Approximately 33,419,653 shares changed hands 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 stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.55, for a total value of $314,001.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,337,229.80. This represents a 8.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were 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 related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 represents a 0.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Loop Capital upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Alphabet from $280.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $279.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $335.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $330.83.

Alphabet News Summary

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 Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $321.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $269.04. The company has a market capitalization of $4.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.87, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.24 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.28%.

Institutional Trading of Alphabet

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,410 shares in the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 44,739 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $7,936,000 after buying an additional 1,437 shares during the period. Wallington Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 0.6% in the second quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC now owns 85,356 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $15,141,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Alphabet by 4.5% in the second quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 483,518 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $85,771,000 after acquiring an additional 20,798 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.7% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 888,597 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $157,628,000 after acquiring an additional 15,155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

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.