John Hennessy Sells 600 Shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Director John Hennessy sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.73, for a total value of $184,038.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,325,999.52. The trade was a 2.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $303.94 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $321.07 and its 200 day moving average is $277.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.68 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $142.66 and a 1 year high of $350.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.15 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on GOOG shares. DA Davidson set a $300.00 price target on Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Pivotal Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Eight research 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.90.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GOOG. Beartown Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth approximately $322,000. Creek Drive Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,045,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $11,792,000. Blue Sparrow LLC DE acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $97,278,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 1,215,875 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $388,205,000 after acquiring an additional 85,194 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum: Analysts and commentators are highlighting Gemini and Google Cloud as major growth drivers (upgrades and optimistic forecasts tied to AI-driven revenue and margin improvements). This narrative is supporting the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: YouTube ad strength and double‑digit cloud revenue gains are being cited as near-term earnings/revenue support that helped lift sentiment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/ratings momentum: DZ Bank and other firms have issued bullish takes (upgrades/strong‑buy calls), which can attract buyers after recent pullbacks. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional conviction: Some large managers (e.g., Royal Bank of Canada) added to GOOG in 13F filings and Berkshire Hathaway kept its Google exposure — signals that long‑term holders remain constructive. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Product cadence: Google set I/O for May 19–20 and is broadly expected to show new AI hardware (smart glasses) — a medium‑term catalyst, but timing and monetization remain speculative. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/watch items: Waymo defended its use of remote assistance before Congress; it’s a reputational/regulatory story to watch but not immediate earnings pressure. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional trimming: Multiple big funds trimmed GOOGL in recent 13F filings (Ameriprise, Northern Trust, Veritas, First Pacific), which creates supply pressure and suggests some profit‑taking/rebalancing. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: CapEx and margin concerns: Coverage highlights heavy AI/dc spending across hyperscalers; investors are treating elevated 2026 capex as a near‑term headwind that can cap multiples even if it supports long‑term moat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and high‑profile trims: A board director sold 600 shares (disclosed) and prominent value managers (e.g., Terry Smith, Bill Ackman) reduced GOOGL exposure in filings — signals that can amplify near‑term selling. Article Title

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.