Sterling Investment Management LLC Decreases Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Sterling Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 22,626 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 4,579 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up about 3.3% of Sterling Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Sterling Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $5,511,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOG. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 416,753,033 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $73,927,821,000 after acquiring an additional 5,182,111 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Alphabet by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,914,125 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $33,511,477,000 after purchasing an additional 2,428,266 shares in the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 580,897.4% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 135,087,705 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $23,963,208,000 after purchasing an additional 135,064,454 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 0.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 107,760,033 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $19,022,926,000 after purchasing an additional 441,177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 6.4% during the second quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 35,357,943 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,272,146,000 after purchasing an additional 2,117,990 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.5%

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $315.32 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $302.26 and its 200-day moving average is $245.22. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $142.66 and a 52 week high of $328.67. The firm has a market cap of $3.80 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

GOOG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $280.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $313.04.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum & monetization — Coverage highlights faster Gemini adoption, stronger YouTube/search integration and improving ad + cloud monetization that underpin revenue upside and multiple expansion. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional backing — Several firms have raised targets and big holders (including UBS AM and Berkshire additions reported last quarter) continue to build positions, supporting sentiment and limiting downside. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity/earnings plays — Several retail/strategy pieces outline income and defined‑risk option trades (one‑month OTM puts, butterfly spreads) ahead of earnings; these signal increased short‑term options flow and hedging but not a directional fundamental change. Butterfly spread idea
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term tech positioning — Pieces comparing legacy tech vs. pure‑play quantum note Alphabet as a lower‑risk way to get quantum/AI exposure, which appeals to investors preferring large‑cap stability over speculative small caps. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling headlines — Recent director and executive stock sales have been reported (SEC filings / press coverage); while routine for executives, high‑profile sell activity can weigh on near‑term sentiment. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory / lobbying overhang — New lobbying disclosures and reports of DOJ interest in company practices are drawing attention; escalation of enforcement or broad probes would increase volatility and could pressure multiples. Article

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 18,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,706,357.25. The trade was a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.80, for a total transaction of $9,743,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,239,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $671,437,776.20. This trade represents a 1.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 195,465 shares of company stock worth $57,056,497 over the last quarter. 12.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Alphabet Company Profile

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.