WestEnd Advisors LLC Sells 17,540 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

WestEnd Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 14.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 107,122 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 17,540 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up approximately 0.8% of WestEnd Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. WestEnd Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $36,859,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 6.0% during the first quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 477 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Rockbridge Investment Management LCC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 0.5% in the first quarter. Rockbridge Investment Management LCC now owns 5,460 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,570,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Ruggaard & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 0.9% in the first quarter. Ruggaard & Associates LLC now owns 2,921 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $840,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Cadia Private Client LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Cadia Private Client LLC now owns 2,589 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $744,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Evansbrook LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 9,522 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,738,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total transaction of $28,257.35. Following the sale, the director directly owned 19,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,494,424.20. This 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 accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 247 shares of company stock worth $79,238 in the last 90 days. 11.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google plans to invest $17 billion in a Wyoming data center, adding capacity to serve AI demand. Google’s credit backstop for Anthropic’s $19 billion TeraWulf data-center lease may also help secure future AI infrastructure. The commitments support growth, though they require substantial capital. Alphabet’s Google Plans $17 Billion Investment in Wyoming Data Center
• Neutral Sentiment: Google, Meta and TikTok sued California to block a law restricting features considered addictive for users under 16. A successful challenge could limit regulatory constraints, but the outcome is uncertain and the dispute adds scrutiny of social-media practices. Meta, Google, and TikTok sue California AG over teen social media law
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending is pressuring free cash flow and margins. The $17 billion Wyoming project reinforces Google’s growth ambitions but could intensify worries about the scale and payoff of capital spending. Alphabet’s Free Cash Flow Is Declining Faster Than Analysts Expected
• Negative Sentiment: A new lawsuit alleges a student used Google AI on a school Chromebook while planning a suicide attempt. The allegations are unproven, but the case could heighten reputational, product-safety and legal risks amid broader concerns about children’s online safety. Google faces claims student used AI chat on US school laptop to plan suicide attempt
• Negative Sentiment: Google has drawn backlash over a policy that would deny Search access to schools that restrict its AI tools, potentially damaging trust and inviting further scrutiny. Separately, law firms are publicizing a securities class action alleging misleading statements about Gemini 3.5 Pro; the claims are allegations, not findings, but add legal overhang. Google faces backlash for plan that would turn off Search for schools that restrict AI

Alphabet Trading Down 2.2%

GOOGL opened at $282.57 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $270.70 and a 12 month high of $408.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.46 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.75, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $334.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $339.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The information services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.02 by ($0.90). The company had revenue of $127.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $127.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 43.33% and a net margin of 50.03%. Sell-side analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 7th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 4.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $485.00 target price (up from $415.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $385.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $325.00 price target (down from $385.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Alphabet from $447.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $480.00 price objective (up from $465.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $412.51.

About Alphabet

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known for its Google subsidiary. Google operates a global internet-services business centered on online search, digital advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and a broad range of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools.

Google Cloud provides infrastructure, data analytics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and enterprise software services to businesses, governments, and other organizations. Alphabet also develops consumer hardware, including Pixel devices and products for connected homes, while investing in emerging businesses through its “Other Bets” segment, including autonomous transportation and life sciences initiatives.

Alphabet was established in 2015 as part of a corporate restructuring that made Google a subsidiary and provided a separate structure for its expanding portfolio of businesses.