Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by Shell Asset Management Co.

Shell Asset Management Co. cut its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 69.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 86,189 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 197,708 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up 2.1% of Shell Asset Management Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $20,991,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GOOG. Tradewinds LLC. grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 2,134.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 45,098 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $10,984,000 after purchasing an additional 43,080 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 31.3% in the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 354,529 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $86,345,000 after buying an additional 84,553 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Alphabet by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 170,020 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $30,160,000 after acquiring an additional 2,304 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.2% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 157,143 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $38,272,000 after purchasing an additional 3,444 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter valued at approximately $900,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of GOOG stock opened at $303.94 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $321.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $277.91. The company has a market cap of $3.68 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10. 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 twelve month low of $142.66 and a twelve month high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.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 previous year, the firm earned $2.15 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is presently 7.77%.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total value of $867,569.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,832.60. This represents a 23.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total value of $5,614,173.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 42,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,531,453.08. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 2,032,408 shares of company stock valued at $94,926,707 over the last three months. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research raised their target price on shares of Alphabet from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Loop Capital raised Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $348.00 target price (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.90.

Alphabet 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.