Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Shares Sold by Argus Investors Counsel Inc.

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. decreased its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 11.5% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 15,901 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 2,057 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 4.1% of Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $4,572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 40.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.28, for a total transaction of $39,343.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,833 shares in the company, valued at $6,615,656.24. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 160,465 shares of company stock worth $8,020,511 over the last three months. Company insiders own 11.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on GOOGL shares. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Alphabet from $410.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price target on Alphabet and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on Alphabet from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Evercore increased their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $413.73.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Google held steady in June while Claude and Gemini posted strong user growth, and it reiterated a Buy rating, citing Alphabet executives’ comments that Search is in an “expansionary moment” that could support results into 2026. Google holds steady as Claude, Gemini surge in June user growth
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Alphabet (GOOG) to Rank #1 (Strong Buy), reflecting improved earnings optimism and potentially supporting near-term sentiment. Alphabet (GOOG) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here’s What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent pieces highlighted Alphabet’s AI and custom-chip strengths, including the company’s TPU strategy and potential cost advantages from in-house processors, which could improve margins over time. Google’s In-House AI Chip Strategy Could Be a Bigger Threat to Nvidia Than Investors Think. Here’s Why.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet remains one of the market’s most closely watched AI and mega-cap tech names, with multiple articles noting strong investor attention and ongoing debate about its long-term growth profile. Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are still focused on Alphabet’s rising capital expenditures, which were raised to $180 billion-$190 billion this year, with analysts also expecting second-quarter capex near $44.9 billion; that spending pressure can weigh on margins and sentiment. Alphabet’s $1 Trillion Ad Dominance Is Facing New Threats
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet’s core advertising dominance is also facing more scrutiny from competitive and structural threats, which may be contributing to the stock’s softer tone despite upbeat AI commentary. Alphabet Vs. Broadcom: Rotate Out of AVGO and into GOOG as a Custom Chip Creator and Hyperscaler Partner

Alphabet Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOGL opened at $352.51 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $179.68 and a 52-week high of $408.61. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $371.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $336.90. The company has a market capitalization of $4.27 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.24.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $2.47. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.98 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is an increase from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 6.71%.

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google’s core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google’s consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.