Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Acquires Shares of 793,191 Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 793,191 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $193,578,000. Alphabet comprises 0.6% of Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,901,000 after acquiring an additional 6,410 shares during the period. Sage Rhino Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 21,029 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $3,730,000 after purchasing an additional 1,808 shares during the last quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. now owns 56,882 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $10,090,000 after purchasing an additional 2,425 shares during the period. Consolidated Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 9.1% in the second quarter. Consolidated Capital Management LLC now owns 2,404 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $426,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hengehold Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Alphabet by 8.0% during the second quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 9,171 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,627,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc raised its price target on Alphabet to $360 and kept an Overweight rating, citing sustained AI and cloud momentum that supports a higher valuation. Alphabet (GOOGL) Price Target Lifted at KeyBanc on AI and Cloud Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Mirae Asset reported a material add to GOOGL (roughly 319k shares), signalling institutional demand that can support near-term upside. Fund Update: Mirae Asset Global Investments Co., Ltd. Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Google has accelerated targeted AI acquisitions, talent deals and strategic investments to bolster Gemini in media generation, voice and international distribution — a product/tech story investors prize. Google Accelerates AI Deals to Strengthen Gemini in Media and Voice
• Neutral Sentiment: Pelosi-related filings show complex trading (sales and option rolls) in big tech, including past GOOGL activity; reads as portfolio optimization rather than a clear sell signal for the company. Pelosi’s Bullish 2026 Buy List: AI, Power & Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector flow: the “Magnificent 7” earnings cadence and broader AI thematic momentum are lifting appetite for marquee AI winners like Alphabet, though reactions will hinge on upcoming results from peers. Magnificent 7 earnings season kicks off, spotlighting AI bets
• Negative Sentiment: The European Commission has opened proceedings and said it will provide guidance to force Google to give rivals access to Gemini services/data under the DMA, and set timelines (six?month pressure reported) — a regulatory headwind that could constrain product leverage in Europe. EU starts proceedings to assist Google in complying with tech rules
• Negative Sentiment: Google agreed to a preliminary $68M settlement over claims its voice assistant listened to users — a modest hit financially but a reputational/regulatory reminder. Google pays $68 million to settle claims its voice assistant spied on users
• Negative Sentiment: Competition risks: reports that OpenAI will sell ads in ChatGPT and Microsoft’s launch of a new inference chip (Maia 200) tighten competitive pressure on ad and cloud economics—factors analysts monitor for margin impact. Alphabet: Valuation Concerns + Weakening Free Cash Flow = Rating Downgrade

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total value of $5,614,173.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 42,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,531,453.08. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.50, for a total transaction of $10,383,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,272,119 shares in the company, valued at $725,942,020.50. The trade was a 1.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 225,187 shares of company stock valued at $69,365,318. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.4%

Alphabet stock opened at $335.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.04 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.04, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.09. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $142.66 and a fifty-two week high of $341.20. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $318.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $263.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.58. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.00% and a net margin of 32.23%.The company had revenue of $102.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.90 billion. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on GOOG. Rosenblatt Securities set a $279.00 target price on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Pivotal Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (up from $350.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, January 5th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Phillip Securities raised shares of Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.13.

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.