William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Free Report) by 171.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,785 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,760 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $984,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.3% during the first quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,508 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $3,094,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in Alphabet by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 4,844 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,390,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Wisconsin Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Alphabet by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wisconsin Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,223 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $785,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. grew its holdings in Alphabet by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Enhancement Group LLC grew its holdings in Alphabet by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms have recently issued reports on GOOG. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Alphabet from $375.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Pivotal Research boosted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $470.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $395.00 price objective (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $415.55.
Alphabet Stock Up 1.5%
Shares of GOOG opened at $342.88 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.19 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.96 and a 1 year high of $404.47. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $347.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $339.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.64.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Alphabet Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 4.42%.
Trending Headlines about Alphabet
Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:
- Positive Sentiment: AI products are broadening Alphabet’s growth story. Google is expanding AI Mode with flight-price tracking, hotel-booking assistance and loyalty-point comparisons, while Gemini’s new “Personal Intelligence” features are making AI assistance more accessible to mainstream users. A potential Gemini 3.8 Flash release and the hiring of former OpenAI executive Barret Zoph further reinforce Alphabet’s competitive AI position. Google AI Mode article
- Positive Sentiment: Cloud momentum and AI infrastructure remain key bullish catalysts. Analysts point to surging Google Cloud revenue, AI adoption and a reported $514 billion backlog as evidence that Alphabet is gaining ground on Microsoft and Amazon. Wolfe Research named Alphabet a top 2027 pick and set a $460 target, citing accelerating cloud growth. Alphabet’s expanded custom-chip relationship with Marvell could also strengthen its TPU ecosystem and reduce reliance on outside suppliers over time. Google Cloud growth article
- Neutral Sentiment: Technical and valuation commentary is broadly supportive but not a new fundamental catalyst. Analysts continue to view GOOG favorably, and technical analysis identifies support near a key moving-average level. However, the stock remains below its 50-day average, suggesting investors are still weighing growth against execution risks. Alphabet technical analysis
- Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and litigation overhangs persist. Google changed its European spam-policy enforcement to avoid a potential antitrust fine, a concession that may reduce near-term financial risk but could constrain search operations. Alphabet also agreed to a roughly $353 million UK Play Store settlement, while the FTC is reportedly considering a lawsuit over YouTube account suspensions. Multiple law firms separately announced securities-fraud investigations, though these notices do not establish wrongdoing. Google EU spam policy article
- Negative Sentiment: Investors remain alert to the cost of the AI race. Reports that major technology companies have approximately $3 trillion in off-balance-sheet AI commitments, alongside Alphabet’s heavy capital spending and negative free cash flow concerns, could pressure future returns if AI monetization lags investment. Big Tech AI spending article
Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet
In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 118,138 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.90, for a total value of $2,232,808.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total value of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 27,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 451,843 shares of company stock valued at $12,343,852 over the last quarter. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
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.
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