Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock Price Down 1.8% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) dropped 1.8% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $314.66 and last traded at $318.63. Approximately 25,206,414 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 6% from the average daily volume of 23,702,031 shares. The stock had previously closed at $324.40.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EU grants unconditional antitrust approval for Google’s $32B acquisition of Wiz, removing a major regulatory overhang and preserving the planned Cybersecurity/cloud expansion that supports Google Cloud’s growth outlook. EU clears Wiz acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: HOMESTEAD ADVISERS increased its GOOG stake by ~137,512 shares (~$43M), a sign that some funds are adding exposure amid the company’s AI/cloud narrative. Continued institutional demand can help underpin the stock. Homestead adds GOOG shares
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals/analyst support — recent Q4 results and Google Cloud momentum (strong growth, improving margins and a large backlog) keep many analysts constructive, supporting the longer‑term bull case. Q4 takeaways & Cloud strength
• Neutral Sentiment: Voluntary exit offers in some business units — management is offering buyouts to employees not “all in,” a potential cost/structure move that could modestly lower future operating expenses but also signal reorganization. Voluntary exit packages
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo operational progress — Waymo’s expansion to fully autonomous service in Nashville signals technology/monetization progress but has limited immediate revenue impact. Waymo goes fully autonomous
• Negative Sentiment: Debt issuance shock — Alphabet boosted its bond offering as investor demand surged, with reports the sale topped $30B after the company increased the size; markets are worried about the scale and signaling of heavy external funding. Alphabet boosts debt sale past $30B
• Negative Sentiment: Bond structure & capex concerns — the company sold a large bond package (reports cite a $20B U.S. sale and talk of a rare 100‑year sterling note) to fund an aggressive AI capex plan; investors fear increased leverage and pressure on free cash flow as capex guidance jumps materially. Alphabet bond sale to fund AI
• Negative Sentiment: Company-highlighted AI risks and higher long‑duration contracts — Alphabet updated filings to call out new AI‑related and long‑duration contract risks, which amplifies market worries about execution and revenue predictability amid big investments. AI-related risks flagged
• Negative Sentiment: Negative commentary & investor skepticism — high‑profile investors (e.g., Michael Burry) publicly warned about the strategy of issuing century‑long debt, adding to short‑term sentiment pressure. Michael Burry warns
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory noise — new trademark litigation and industry lobbying (Autodesk suit; European Publishers complaint about AI Overviews) add legal/PR uncertainty. Autodesk sues Google
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling — disclosed insider sales contribute to near‑term sentiment weakness even if not uncommon at large tech firms. Insider sells shares

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $345.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (up previously from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Alphabet from $330.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Alphabet from $250.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.47.

Alphabet Trading Down 1.8%

The company has a market cap of $3.84 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $322.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $272.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS 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 firm 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 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 7.77%.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.18, for a total value of $10,893,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,179,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $730,481,906.96. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total transaction of $34,680.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,224,380. This trade represents a 0.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 2,070,464 shares of company stock worth $106,153,077 over the last 90 days. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GOOG. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.