Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Purchased by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB increased its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 343,151 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 8,450 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for about 2.8% of Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $107,681,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,298,572,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 8.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,529,742 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $24,240,469,000 after purchasing an additional 7,904,434 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 73.5% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 9,808,152 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,388,775,000 after purchasing an additional 4,154,929 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Alphabet by 330.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,989,463 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $707,691,000 after buying an additional 3,062,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $678,198,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on GOOG shares. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. DZ Bank raised shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Alphabet from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $345.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.99, for a total value of $33,934.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,580,469.82. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.41, for a total value of $318,580.50. Following the sale, the director owned 4,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,405,091.71. The trade was a 18.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,110,165 shares of company stock worth $118,134,117. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

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

Alphabet Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $280.74 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $142.66 and a 52 week high of $350.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $314.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $294.73. 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 (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. 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 company had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.77%.

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.