Community Trust & Investment Co. Has $114.89 Million Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Community Trust & Investment Co. decreased its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 366,123 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 7,582 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 6.1% of Community Trust & Investment Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Community Trust & Investment Co.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $114,889,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 41.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,056,729 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,900,602,000 after acquiring an additional 1,784,623 shares in the last quarter. GEM Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. Diversified Trust Co. boosted its stake in Alphabet by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 112,465 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $35,292,000 after purchasing an additional 7,158 shares in the last quarter. Westview Management dba Westview Investment Advisors bought a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth about $6,601,000. Finally, Post Resch Tallon Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $221,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on GOOG. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price target (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $350.00 price objective on Alphabet in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $345.71.

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOG opened at $280.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a current ratio of 2.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $314.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $294.73. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.66 and a 52-week high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.77%.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum — Google’s Gemini upgrades and other AI improvements are boosting Search engagement and product monetization potential, supporting the longer-term ad and cloud growth thesis. Analysts and AI-focused commentary highlight upside from AI-driven search/product improvements. Zacks: Alphabet Relies on AI to Boost Search Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/institutional support — Some firms have nudged up FY EPS estimates and price targets (Erste, MarketBeat coverage of broad analyst upgrades), reflecting confidence in cloud, search and Gemini monetization — a stabilizing factor for long-term holders. MarketBeat: Analyst Optimism and Upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational milestones — Waymo and DeepMind deals (robotics, AD miles) show execution in adjacent growth areas; positive for long-term optionality but limited near-term revenue impact. These are credibility wins but not big drivers of current quarter results. Blockonomi: Waymo Milestone
• Negative Sentiment: Landmark liability verdicts — A Los Angeles jury found Google (YouTube) liable in a youth social-media addiction case; the ruling is being framed as a bellwether that could spur more suits and regulatory scrutiny. Investors are pricing in higher legal/regulatory risk and potential compliance costs, which has pressured the stock today. Reuters: US jury verdicts tee up fight over tech liability shield
• Negative Sentiment: Sector spillover from AI/chip headlines — Google researchers’ memory-compression news (and the related debate) has sparked volatility across memory/chip suppliers; that throws a short-term cold shower on tech sentiment and can drive indiscriminate selling in megacaps despite the company being the source of the innovation. CNBC: Google AI breakthrough pressures memory chip stocks

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. The trade was a 78.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.99, for a total value of $33,934.88. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,418 shares in the company, valued at $5,580,469.82. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 2,110,165 shares of company stock worth $118,134,117 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

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.