7,018 Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC decreased its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 6.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 108,432 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 7,018 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $36,947,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet in the second quarter worth $29,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new position in Alphabet in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Timbuktu Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter worth $46,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG traded down $6.46 during trading on Thursday, reaching $334.27. The stock had a trading volume of 9,563,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,539,844. The stock has a market cap of $4.09 trillion, a PE ratio of 16.78, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.21. 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 1-year low of $236.68 and a 1-year high of $404.47. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $341.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $345.13.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 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 analyst estimates of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 4th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GOOG. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $418.00 to $411.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. HSBC set a $515.00 price objective on Alphabet in a research note on Friday, August 14th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $379.00 price objective (down from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Phillip Securities raised shares of Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $450.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Alphabet from $415.00 to $485.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $419.93.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google launched Gemini 4 Argon, describing it as its most advanced model to date, with reported improvements in coding, cybersecurity and complex professional workflows. The release initially supported Alphabet shares and helped reassure investors that Google remains competitive with OpenAI and Anthropic. Reuters Gemini 4 Argon article
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan maintained an “Overweight” rating, while other analysts continue to cite Alphabet’s strong cash position, profitable Search and YouTube businesses, and growing Google Cloud operations as reasons to remain bullish. A recent analyst compilation showed a median price target of $425 for GOOGL, above current levels. Invezz analyst outlook article
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is beginning an in-orbit test of its Tensor Processing Units through Project Suncatcher, a long-term initiative aimed at developing space-based AI infrastructure. The project is strategically notable, although it is unlikely to affect near-term earnings. CNBC Project Suncatcher article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and momentum-focused research continue to view Alphabet favorably, supported by strong advertising, subscriptions, cloud growth and AI-driven engagement. Zacks momentum article
• Neutral Sentiment: Gemini 4 Argon is being rolled out gradually, initially to selected cybersecurity organizations, as Google addresses safety concerns. Limited availability may reduce immediate revenue impact but could improve adoption confidence over time. Wall Street Journal AI rollout article
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain skeptical about whether Argon’s benchmark results will translate into superior real-world performance. Reports of internal employee doubts and the model’s delayed launch have tempered the initial enthusiasm. Yahoo Finance internal skepticism article
• Negative Sentiment: Google is challenging an EU order that could require it to share search data with AI rivals. The litigation may protect Alphabet’s platform advantages, but it also extends regulatory uncertainty and raises the risk of compliance costs or weaker competitive barriers. Reuters EU regulatory article
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet’s heavy AI infrastructure spending is intensifying concerns about capital returns and free-cash-flow pressure. Separately, Pershing Square reportedly sold its Alphabet position to buy Microsoft, while recent insider activity has consisted largely of sales. Motley Fool Ackman article

Insider Activity

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 82 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.71, for a total value of $27,692.22. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,995 shares in the company, valued at $6,414,801.45. This trade represents a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 118,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.90, for a total transaction of $2,232,808.20. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 441,316 shares of company stock worth $8,648,795. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Alphabet

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent company of Google. Established in 2015 through a corporate restructuring, Alphabet oversees Google and a collection of businesses focused on technology, innovation and emerging industries. Sundar Pichai serves as Alphabet’s chief executive officer and also leads Google.

Google is Alphabet’s primary business and operates an internet ecosystem that includes Google Search, online advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and Google Photos.