Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock Price Down 2.2% on Insider Selling

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s stock price fell 2.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $329.37 and last traded at $333.34. 33,419,653 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 54% from the average session volume of 21,672,701 shares. The stock had previously closed at $340.70.

Specifically, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 933 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.55, for a total transaction of $314,001.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,916 shares in the company, valued at $3,337,229.80. This represents a 8.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $35,060,852.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total transaction of $34,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,307 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,224,380. This represents a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. DA Davidson set a $300.00 price objective on Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Alphabet in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Bank of America increased their price target on Alphabet from $280.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Alphabet from $330.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $343.47.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Beat on results and cloud momentum — Q4 EPS and revenue topped consensus; Google Cloud grew ~48% and backlog jumped, while Gemini/user and token metrics point to accelerating AI monetization. Alphabet Crushes Earnings — MarketBeat
• Positive Sentiment: Enterprise traction and deals validate cloud/AI strategy — multi‑year customer agreements and growing cloud run‑rate support sustained revenue upside. Google Cloud, Liberty Global partnership — Reuters
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street still bullish on long‑term story — several analysts raised targets and reiterated conviction that Search, YouTube and Cloud + AI create durable growth optionality. Analyst price‑target moves (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly dividend announced ($0.21 per share; record/ex‑dividend dates set) — a small yield that may modestly broaden buyer base but is immaterial to core growth thesis.
• Neutral Sentiment: Rising capex is a strategic (not short‑term) signal — management frames spending as necessary to secure AI leadership; whether the ramp converts to sustainably higher margins will determine valuation re‑rating.
• Negative Sentiment: Massive 2026 CapEx guidance spooked markets — management guided ~$175–185B for 2026 (roughly double 2025), triggering concerns about near‑term returns and free cash‑flow dilution. CapEx guidance — Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and technical pressure — the stock sold off after hours/premarket and has tested the 50‑day moving average as investors booked gains and de‑risked into the capex surprise. Why stock is falling — MarketWatch
• Negative Sentiment: Insider/institutional selling and some position trims — SEC/13F filings and a spate of fund updates show net trimming by some holders, which can amplify near‑term downside on disappointing guidance. SEC insider filing

Alphabet Trading Down 0.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The business has a fifty day moving average of $322.26 and a 200-day moving average of $269.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.00 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.10.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 36.21%. The company had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.15 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be 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 is Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 8.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at $40,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.