Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Stock Sold by Vantage Investment Partners LLC

Vantage Investment Partners LLC cut its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 2.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 353,791 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 10,047 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for 7.3% of Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its largest position. Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $120,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 14.8% in the second quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 105,988 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $37,449,000 after buying an additional 13,700 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 298.2% in the second quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,229 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $7,854,000 after acquiring an additional 16,647 shares during the period. Montchanin Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $7,075,000. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 13.3% in the second quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 30,489 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $10,773,000 after buying an additional 3,575 shares during the period. Finally, NBT Bank N.A. bought a new stake in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,537,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GOOG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Alphabet from $425.00 to $375.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup downgraded Alphabet from a “market outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Citizens Jmp cut Alphabet from a “mkt outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Phillip Securities upgraded Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $450.00 to $425.00 in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $413.54.

Alphabet Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $278.22 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $271.41 and a 52-week high of $404.47. The company has a market capitalization of $3.40 trillion, a P/E ratio of 14.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $335.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $338.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a current ratio of 2.79.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The information services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by ($0.89). The business had revenue of $127.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $127.97 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 43.33% and a net margin of 50.03%. The firm’s revenue was up 24.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.87 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 19.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud delivered exceptional growth. Revenue more than doubled year over year to approximately $30.7 billion, while operating margins expanded and the backlog reached roughly $561 billion. This supports the view that Alphabet’s AI investments are generating demand. Alphabet Cloud Business Article
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s AI platform may create new revenue streams. OpenAI reportedly plans to use Google’s tensor-processing units, while Gemini performance and expanding AI Search advertising could help Alphabet compete in the AI infrastructure market. Analysts including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan remain constructive, despite lowering price targets. OpenAI Google AI Chips Article
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation has become more attractive. Reports place GOOG’s price-to-earnings ratio near 14.6, the lowest level in many years, prompting some investors to characterize the selloff as a potential long-term buying opportunity. Google Valuation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo is expanding internationally. Alphabet’s autonomous-driving unit will test Toyota bZ4X robotaxis in Japan and the U.K., but the business remains small and cash-burning. Waymo Toyota Partnership Article
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly results missed expectations. Alphabet reported approximately $2.12 in earnings per share and $127.6 billion in revenue, below consensus forecasts. Search revenue grew but missed estimates, and AI-powered searches are reportedly harder to monetize than traditional searches. Alphabet Search Earnings Article
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is straining cash flow. Capital expenditures and infrastructure commitments pushed free cash flow approximately $9 billion negative for the quarter, raising concerns about returns on Alphabet’s enormous AI investment program and potential financing or dilution. Tech Giants AI Spending Article
• Negative Sentiment: Additional earnings pressure came from investments and legal risk. An unrealized loss on Alphabet’s SpaceX stake reduced earnings, while multiple law firms publicized securities class-action deadlines tied to alleged AI disclosures. These lawsuits are largely investor notices, but they add reputational and headline risk. Alphabet Class Action Notice

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total transaction of $28,257.35. Following the sale, the director owned 19,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,494,424.20. This represents a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 247 shares of company stock valued at $79,238 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent organization of Google. Founded in 2015 through a corporate restructuring, Alphabet oversees Google and a collection of businesses focused on technology, online services, communications, artificial intelligence, and other emerging areas.

Google’s principal products and services include its internet search engine, digital advertising platforms, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Workspace. The company also provides cloud computing, data storage, cybersecurity, productivity, and artificial intelligence services through Google Cloud.