Verus Capital Partners LLC Has $8.89 Million Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Verus Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,504 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,929 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises 0.6% of Verus Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $8,890,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Tradewinds LLC. lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 2,134.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 45,098 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $10,984,000 after acquiring an additional 43,080 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in Alphabet by 31.3% in the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 354,529 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $86,345,000 after purchasing an additional 84,553 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.2% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 157,143 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $38,272,000 after purchasing an additional 3,444 shares during the period. American National Bank of Texas bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth about $900,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,164,341 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $206,542,000 after purchasing an additional 42,028 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ GOOG opened at $313.03 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.79 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.96, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $321.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $281.87. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $142.66 and a 12 month high of $350.15.

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

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GOOG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $335.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. KeyCorp set a $370.00 price objective on Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial raised Alphabet from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $343.90.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded Alphabet, a near-term buy-side catalyst that can boost sentiment and trading demand. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Upgraded at Wells Fargo & Company
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat highlights underappreciated assets (14% stake in Anthropic, early SpaceX stake, global device reach) that add upside optionality beyond Search/Cloud — a narrative that supports a higher multiple if Anthropic or SpaceX value inflection occurs. Alphabet’s Quiet Edge: The Hidden Assets Powering Its Run
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is consolidating robotics software unit Intrinsic into Google, trimming Other Bets complexity and accelerating product integration — likely cost/efficiency positive for margins and faster commercialization of physical AI. Former Alphabet ‘moonshot’ robotics company Intrinsic is folding into Google
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo expanding testing to Chicago and Charlotte signals continued path to commercialization for robotaxis — a potential long-term revenue stream and optional upside. Waymo to begin testing in Chicago and Charlotte
• Positive Sentiment: Device wins: Samsung’s S26 showcases deeper Gemini integration (third?party app control), extending distribution for Google’s AI — supportive for product monetization and data network effects. Samsung’s S26 gives an advance look at what the Google-powered Apple Siri could do
• Neutral Sentiment: Google plans to test changes to search layout in Europe to give rivals more prominence as a way to avoid a major EU fine — this shows proactive mitigation but underscores ongoing regulatory risk that could affect Search economics. Exclusive: Google to test changes to search results, source says as EU fine looms
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports of a big increase in short-interest contain obvious data errors (0 shares / NaN) — treat as noise until corrected; not a reliable immediate signal. (data entry)
• Negative Sentiment: MIG Capital trimmed its Alphabet Class C stake—hedge?fund selling can pressure price in the short term and prompt headline-driven flows. MIG Capital Cuts Alphabet Inc. Class C Stake
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noted insider selling tied to the broader “Magnificent Seven” net selling trend and a small reported stock dip — insider/ownership shifts can sap momentum and weigh on sentiment near-term. The “Magnificent Seven” Are Sending Shockwaves Through Wall Street With This $8.4 Billion Warning
• Negative Sentiment: A minor Russian court fine over VPN distribution and continued EU scrutiny are reminders that regulatory/legal costs and reputational risk remain a recurring headwind. Russia fines Google for distributing VPN services, TASS reports

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 933 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,916 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at $3,987,279.15. This trade represents a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 2,112,482 shares of company stock valued at $119,145,289 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet 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.