Marathon Asset Management LP Decreases Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Marathon Asset Management LP reduced its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 50.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,330 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 6,330 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for about 2.1% of Marathon Asset Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Marathon Asset Management LP’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $1,542,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter worth $32,000. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter worth $40,000. University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 145.0% during the third quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 196 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research 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 company from $315.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. KeyCorp set a $370.00 price target on Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $345.71.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MoffettNathanson reiterated a Buy rating and kept a $350 price target, citing robust YouTube monetization and positioning Alphabet as a top media/ad franchise—this typically supports investor confidence in revenue upside. MoffettNathanson Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet paid a cash dividend ($0.21/share on March 16), signaling shareholder-friendly capital allocation and returning cash to investors—a direct positive for yield-seeking holders. Dividend Payout
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Alphabet’s massive multi?year investments (reported at ~$346B) is being framed as driving durable growth and scale benefits to the bottom line—supportive for long-term earnings expectations. $346B Investment Boost
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters reports Google procurement teams in China are in talks to buy liquid cooling systems from Envicool and others—operational detail that may lower data?center costs or raise supply/geopolitical considerations depending on outcomes. China Cooling Systems Talks
• Neutral Sentiment: Short?interest data in the aggregated feed shows anomalous zeroes for March (likely a reporting/data issue); no clear signal for increased bearish bets from that metric today.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of quantum computing competition (IBM vs. other players) notes Alphabet’s activity in the space but does not yet alter near?term revenue—relevant for long?range R&D narrative but not immediate earnings. Quantum Computing Landscape
• Negative Sentiment: European publishers and tech firms are pressing the EU to speed a probe and potential fine over Google Search self?preferencing—an escalated regulatory risk that could hit search economics or lead to enforcement costs. EU Antitrust Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary flags valuation concerns (mid?20s P/E) and rising capex/margin pressure despite AI-driven growth—this frames upside as dependent on sustained margin recovery and execution. Valuation Concerns

Insider Activity

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 955 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total transaction of $284,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,955,564. This trade represents a 8.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the sale, the insider owned 13,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. The trade was a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,076,615 shares of company stock valued at $107,809,111. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of GOOG opened at $309.41 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $319.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $292.22. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $142.66 and a 1-year high of $350.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.74 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The company had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.15 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.77%.

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.