Kovack Advisors Inc. Sells 9,497 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Kovack Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 24.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,725 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 9,497 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $7,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GOOG. University of Illinois Foundation bought a new stake in Alphabet in the second quarter worth $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Alphabet during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 100.0% in the second quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 60.9% in the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 251 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Trading Down 1.0%

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $311.69 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $321.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $280.89. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $142.66 and a one year high of $350.15. The firm has a market cap of $3.77 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a current ratio of 2.01.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.15 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.21 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial set a $350.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, December 5th. DA Davidson set a $300.00 target price on Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho set a $325.00 price target on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $343.90.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street bullishness: Several firms (Wells Fargo, Mizuho and others) have upgraded or reiterated bullish ratings and raised price targets (median ~ $370, multiple targets much higher), supporting upside expectations for ad/Gemini growth. ‘Time to Get More Constructive,’ Says Wells Fargo on Alphabet Stock (GOOGL)
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships expand commercial reach: Alphabet struck a collaboration with Loblaw in Canada to embed Google shopping/AI capabilities, widening retail monetization touchpoints outside core U.S. markets. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Loblaw Companies Limited Enters into New Collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Product momentum in AI: Google launched Lyria 3 (DeepMind music-generation) in beta inside the Gemini app, showing ongoing product expansion that can drive engagement and new use cases for monetization. Alphabet (GOOGL) Expands AI Reach Amid Market Debate
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry capex context: Bridgewater estimates Big Tech will invest roughly $650B in AI infrastructure in 2026 — a sector-wide capital cycle that helps explain Alphabet’s spending plans but also signals competitive pressure on margins and suppliers. Big Tech to invest about $650 billion in AI in 2026, Bridgewater says
• Neutral Sentiment: Debate over AI capex sustainability: Social and industry commentary highlights that Alphabet is funding massive AI buildouts internally (versus peers using debt), creating long-term strategic advantages for suppliers but stirring free-cash-flow and energy-demand concerns. Alphabet Stock (GOOGL) Opinions on AI Infrastructure Expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Capex and cash-flow anxiety: Several pieces (and investor chatter) point to aggressive AI spending that could pressure free cash flow in 2026 — a headline driver that has weighed on the stock despite Alphabet’s large backlog and revenue growth. Alphabet: Don’t Let The CapEx Scare You Away From A $240B Backlog
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and governance headlines: Recent large insider sales (including CEO transactions reported) add short-term selling pressure and raise governance/optics concerns for some investors. Insider Selling: Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) CEO Sells $9,877,400.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Accounting scrutiny: High-profile skepticism (e.g., Michael Burry commentary) accusing Big Tech of using accounting/depreciation to mask AI costs is adding reputational and analytical headwinds that can amplify volatility. Michael Burry Warns MSFT, GOOG, META Are Using ‘Sinister’ Accounting

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total value of $867,569.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,962 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,832.60. The trade was a 23.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,112,482 shares of company stock valued at $119,145,289. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alphabet 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.