NorthStar Asset Management LLC NJ Raises Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

NorthStar Asset Management LLC NJ grew its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 14,702 shares of the information services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,075 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 0.9% of NorthStar Asset Management LLC NJ’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. NorthStar Asset Management LLC NJ’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $3,581,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.30, for a total value of $10,637,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,211,872 shares in the company, valued at $723,945,705.60. This trade represents a 1.45% 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. 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. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $303.94 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $321.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $277.91. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $142.66 and a one year high of $350.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.68 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Alphabet News Roundup

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

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $345.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price target (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Eight 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.90.

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.