Sheets Smith Wealth Management Buys 2,228 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Sheets Smith Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 16.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,068 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,228 shares during the quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $3,906,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOGL. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 36.4% in the second quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 251 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Corsicana & Co. acquired a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at $54,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 37.9% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 324 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its holdings in Alphabet by 77.6% during the 2nd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 348 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of GOOGL opened at $313.00 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $300.42 and its 200 day moving average is $242.55. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $140.53 and a 12-month high of $328.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a market cap of $3.78 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.08.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.58. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. The firm had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.90 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 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. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.28%.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum and 2025 strength: Coverage highlights that Alphabet’s AI launches and product moves (Gemini, model upgrades) helped lift ad and cloud monetization, driving a banner 2025 that underpins bullish investor views. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade flow: Some sell‑side shops have raised targets (notably a Citizens JMP upgrade to $385), which can attract buying interest and support the share price. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Firm buy-side / retail interest: Multiple investor pieces list Alphabet as a top 2026 AI/capital‑allocation idea due to its distribution edge, cloud growth and end‑to‑end AI stack. That narrative is helping demand from advisors and retail channels. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational moves (energy / Intersect Power): Alphabet’s purchases of energy and data‑center power capacity are strategically important for scale but are longer‑dated benefits for EPS. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed coverage amid the Intersect Power story. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Emerging tech exposure (quantum): Market commentary positions Alphabet as a lower‑risk way to get quantum exposure versus pure‑play names — relevant for strategic, longer‑term investors rather than a near‑term catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Large disclosed sales (John Kent Walker sold ~17,829 shares; director Frances Arnold also sold) may create near‑term selling pressure or signal tax/planning activity that investors watch. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CapEx and margin risk: Analysts warn heavy AI infrastructure spending across hyperscalers could pressure near‑term free cash flow and margins, a key risk for valuation if spending outpaces revenue conversion. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal noise: Ongoing reporting about DOJ probes and policy scrutiny adds an overhang that can dent sentiment if enforcement escalates. Read More.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.48, for a total value of $9,213,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,337,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $662,526,494.12. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 42,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,531,453.08. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 192,687 shares of company stock valued at $56,255,711. 11.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOGL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Alphabet from $260.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. New Street Research lifted their target price on Alphabet from $275.00 to $295.00 in a report on Friday, October 24th. Phillip Securities upgraded Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, China Renaissance lifted their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $207.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-one have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $317.76.

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google’s core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google’s consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.