Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by Suncoast Equity Management

Suncoast Equity Management cut its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 1.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 230,868 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 3,515 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 5.6% of Suncoast Equity Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Suncoast Equity Management’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $56,228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in GOOG. Higgins & Schmidt Wealth Strategies LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Higgins & Schmidt Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hartmann Taylor Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 2.3% in the third quarter. Hartmann Taylor Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,813 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $442,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Meritas Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Meritas Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,458 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division raised its position in Alphabet by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 7,208 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,756,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Falcon Wealth Planning raised its position in Alphabet by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Falcon Wealth Planning now owns 11,881 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,894,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street upgrades and higher price targets lift the growth narrative for Google Cloud and AI; Jefferies recently raised its target to $365 and many firms maintain buy/outperform calls, supporting longer-term upside. Jefferies raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Product & commercial traction for Gemini and AI is improving distribution: Samsung plans to double devices running Gemini to ~800M units this year — a major scale tailwind for Gemini adoption across mobile. Samsung to double Gemini devices
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure push: initiatives like TorchTPU, increased TPU patenting and moves to reduce Nvidia dependence, plus cloud/infrastructure M&A, strengthen Alphabet’s ability to monetize AI at scale. These strategic moves are supportive of margins and competitive positioning. Seeking Alpha on TorchTPU & infrastructure
• Neutral Sentiment: Small lobbying disclosure: ~$80k reported for Google Public Sector work on DoD cloud services — notable for contract tracking but not material by itself. Quiver lobbying disclosure
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy insider selling is a clear near-term negative: Quiver data shows 161 insider sales in six months (including large Sundar Pichai sales), which can spook investors and fuel profit-taking. Quiver on insider selling & sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risks: OpenAI/ChatGPT usage metrics show Gemini narrowing the gap, but competition remains intense — news flow comparing market share can pressure sentiment and prompt volatility. CNBC: ChatGPT vs Gemini

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total transaction of $867,569.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,832.60. This represents a 23.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total transaction of $5,614,173.81. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 42,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,531,453.08. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 195,465 shares of company stock worth $57,056,497 in the last 90 days. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $335.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $279.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on Alphabet in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $314.64.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $314.55 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.80 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $142.66 and a twelve month high of $328.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $304.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $247.26.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.00% and a net margin of 32.23%.Alphabet’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.28%.

About Alphabet

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.