Aberdeen Group plc Sells 113,655 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Aberdeen Group plc decreased its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 1.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,679,982 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 113,655 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for approximately 2.6% of Aberdeen Group plc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.06% of Alphabet worth $1,626,910,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $40,000. University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 145.0% during the third quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 196 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Alphabet by 100.0% during the second quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Loop Capital upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. DA Davidson set a $300.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Alphabet from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $400.00 in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Alphabet from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $343.90.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum: Analysts and commentators are highlighting Gemini and Google Cloud as major growth drivers (upgrades and optimistic forecasts tied to AI-driven revenue and margin improvements). This narrative is supporting the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: YouTube ad strength and double‑digit cloud revenue gains are being cited as near-term earnings/revenue support that helped lift sentiment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/ratings momentum: DZ Bank and other firms have issued bullish takes (upgrades/strong‑buy calls), which can attract buyers after recent pullbacks. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional conviction: Some large managers (e.g., Royal Bank of Canada) added to GOOG in 13F filings and Berkshire Hathaway kept its Google exposure — signals that long‑term holders remain constructive. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Product cadence: Google set I/O for May 19–20 and is broadly expected to show new AI hardware (smart glasses) — a medium‑term catalyst, but timing and monetization remain speculative. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/watch items: Waymo defended its use of remote assistance before Congress; it’s a reputational/regulatory story to watch but not immediate earnings pressure. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional trimming: Multiple big funds trimmed GOOGL in recent 13F filings (Ameriprise, Northern Trust, Veritas, First Pacific), which creates supply pressure and suggests some profit‑taking/rebalancing. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: CapEx and margin concerns: Coverage highlights heavy AI/dc spending across hyperscalers; investors are treating elevated 2026 capex as a near‑term headwind that can cap multiples even if it supports long‑term moat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and high‑profile trims: A board director sold 600 shares (disclosed) and prominent value managers (e.g., Terry Smith, Bill Ackman) reduced GOOGL exposure in filings — signals that can amplify near‑term selling. Article Title

Insider Activity

In other Alphabet news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.18, for a total value of $10,893,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,179,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $730,481,906.96. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.73, for a total transaction of $184,038.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 20,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,325,999.52. This trade represents a 2.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 2,032,408 shares of company stock valued at $94,926,707 in the last three months. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $303.94 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.68 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $321.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $277.91. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.66 and a 52-week high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 7.77%.

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.