SBI Securities Co. Ltd. Decreases Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

SBI Securities Co. Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 3.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 166,562 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 6,193 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 1.0% of SBI Securities Co. Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. SBI Securities Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $40,566,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fairman Group LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet by 121.3% in the second quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Horrell Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Alphabet by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LGT Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the second quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on GOOG. KeyCorp set a $370.00 target price on Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Truist Financial set a $350.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $345.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.47.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EU regulators gave unconditional approval to Alphabet’s proposed $32B acquisition of Wiz, removing a major regulatory overhang on that deal. Google secures EU antitrust approval for $32 billion Wiz acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Investor demand for the debt was strong — the offering was increased and reports say total take exceeded $30B — signaling appetite for high?quality corporate debt and Alphabet’s credit. Alphabet boosts debt sale again as total raise exceeds $30 billion, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: Several institutional filings show portfolio additions to GOOG in recent 13F updates, indicating continued long?term buyer interest from some funds. HOMESTEAD ADVISERS CORP added GOOG shares
• Neutral Sentiment: The 100?year, 6.125% bond is a rare, strategic move: it locks long?term funding for AI capex but introduces unique duration and inflation risks that investors must price differently than normal corporate debt. Alphabet to sell rare 100-year bond to fund AI expansion, memo
• Neutral Sentiment: Fundamental backdrop remains solid: strong Q4 results and robust Google Cloud growth support the capex plan, but heavier spending guidance raises near?term cash?flow questions. Alphabet Q4 takeaway: Doubling down on cloud and AI investments
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction skewed negative as some investors interpret the massive debt raise and century bond as “sticker shock,” prompting selling and short?term anxiety about leverage and capital allocation. Google Stock Stalls as $20B Century Bond Sale Sparks Debt Anxiety
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational and legal headlines (a TechCrunch report about data handed to ICE, trademark suit by Autodesk, ongoing trials) add regulatory/PR risk that can pressure sentiment. Google sent personal and financial information of student journalist to ICE
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling and some fund reductions were reported this week, which can exacerbate downward pressure when combined with the debt headlines. Mawer Investment Management decreased GOOG holdings

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total transaction of $5,614,173.81. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 42,972 shares in the company, valued at $13,531,453.08. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,070,464 shares of company stock valued at $106,153,077. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alphabet Trading Down 1.8%

Alphabet stock opened at $318.63 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $322.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.75. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $142.66 and a 52 week high of $350.15. The stock has a market cap of $3.84 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.15 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 7.77%.

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.