Vantage Investment Partners LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Vantage Investment Partners LLC lowered its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 2.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 390,002 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 11,771 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for 6.5% of Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $94,985,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth $32,000. IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in Alphabet by 400.0% in the second quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Robbins Farley raised its holdings in Alphabet by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 160 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, WestEnd Advisors LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 58.7% during the 2nd quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 165 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $279.00 target price on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $330.83.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google is expanding Gemini AI features inside Chrome (assistant features and image tools), which supports product engagement and potential ad/search monetization upside. Google brings more Gemini AI features to Chrome browser
• Positive Sentiment: Google added AI image-generation and side-panel virtual assistant capabilities to Chrome, strengthening user stickiness and increasing cross-product use of Gemini. Google adds AI image generation to Chrome browser
• Positive Sentiment: Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed an AI collaboration with Google that Apple describes as unlocking new experiences — a high-profile partner endorsement that could broaden Gemini distribution and revenue pathways. Tim Cook on Google partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Vanguard disclosed a meaningful addition of GOOGL shares (reported in 13F updates), indicating continued large-cap demand from major asset managers. VANGUARD GROUP INC Fund Update
• Positive Sentiment: Positive market commentary (including Jim Cramer) is supporting bullish sentiment toward Alphabet’s AI-led growth story. “Alphabet (GOOGL)’s Extraordinary,” Says Jim Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo continues geographic expansion (airport services in San Francisco, planned UK rollout), signaling long-term autonomous mobility potential but still early monetization. Waymo Opens Up Airport Service in San Francisco
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect earnings growth next week and note the AI push as a driver; these previews keep focus on upcoming results and guidance for Search/Cloud. Alphabet Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Google disrupted a large residential proxy network, which could improve customer trust and reduce fraud exposure (reputational/operational benefit). Google disrupts large residential proxy network
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk: a Waymo robotaxi struck a child near a school; the NHTSA has opened an investigation — a headline risk that can pressure shares and slow AV commercialization timelines. Waymo Robotaxi Hits Child, Prompting NHTSA Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: UK competition regulator proposed rules forcing Google to give publishers opt-outs for AI summaries and more transparency — potential headwinds for Search product design and legal/compliance costs. UK regulator proposes changes to Google search for publishers
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet agreed to pay about $135M to settle a lawsuit over handling of cellular data, a direct near-term cash/legal hit and raises scrutiny on data practices. Google to Pay $135 Million to Settle Lawsuit

Alphabet Stock Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $338.66 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $142.66 and a 1 year high of $342.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $320.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $264.58. The stock has a market cap of $4.09 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.40, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.12 EPS. Alphabet’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 8.28%.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.52, for a total value of $202,512.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,163,524.48. This represents a 2.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.45, for a total value of $31,971.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,706,357.25. This trade represents a 0.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 225,075 shares of company stock valued at $69,332,637 over the last three months. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

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.