Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Stock: Welch Group LLC Boosts Stake

Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,791 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,276 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $5,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 135.5% during the third quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 73 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter valued at $37,000. Timbuktu Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the first quarter worth $57,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum: A venture-capital investor ranked Alphabet’s Gemini as the leading AI model, supporting optimism about the company’s ability to compete in AI and potentially attract usage and spending. Top VC: The Best AI Models Take “80% Plus” of Spend. And Alphabet’s Gemini Just Ranked No. 1
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term infrastructure growth: Google plans to invest $15 billion in Malaysia over two years to expand data-center capacity and support regional AI and cloud demand. The investment could help grow future revenue, though it adds to near-term capital needs. Google to Invest $15 Billion in Malaysia Over Two Years
• Neutral Sentiment: Election-driven rally: Reports attributed the rebound in Alphabet and other mega-cap technology shares to a broad post-election market rally. The result may have eased some near-term concern about data-center policy, although regulatory uncertainty remains. Why Alphabet Stock Popped on Wednesday
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy AI investment weighs on cash flow: Recent coverage highlighted declining free cash flow and rising infrastructure costs, tempering the growth story. Investors remain focused on whether cloud and AI returns will justify the spending. Alphabet’s Free Cash Flow Is Declining Faster Than Analysts Expected
• Negative Sentiment: School Search policy backlash and litigation: Google’s plan tying school access to Search with AI settings drew criticism from politicians and prompted competing search services to target schools. Separately, a securities class action alleges investors were misled about Gemini 3.5 Pro’s progress; the claims are allegations, but add legal and reputational uncertainty. Google faces backlash for plan that would turn off Search for schools that restrict AI

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

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

Alphabet Stock Up 3.2%

Alphabet stock opened at $287.30 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $332.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $337.44. The company has a quick ratio of 2.69, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market cap of $3.51 trillion, a P/E ratio of 14.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.21. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $271.41 and a twelve month high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The information services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by ($0.89). Alphabet had a return on equity of 43.33% and a net margin of 50.03%. The firm had revenue of $127.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $127.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.87 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 19.80 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 14th. Investors of record on Monday, December 7th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 7th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 4.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on GOOG. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Citizens Jmp cut shares of Alphabet from a “mkt outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector outperform” rating and issued a $375.00 target price (down from $450.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $413.38.

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.