Frances Arnold Sells 102 Shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.45, for a total value of $31,971.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,706,357.25. The trade was a 0.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Frances Arnold also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, December 1st, Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of Alphabet stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.66, for a total value of $32,401.32.
• On Thursday, October 30th, Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of Alphabet stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.80, for a total value of $32,681.60.

Alphabet Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $313.80 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.79 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.95, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $142.66 and a 12 month high of $328.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $301.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $243.30.

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

Alphabet Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its position in Alphabet by 400.0% during the second quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Robbins Farley raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 160 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 58.7% in the 2nd quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 165 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Fairman Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 121.3% during the 2nd quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on GOOG. TD Cowen increased their target price on Alphabet from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Alphabet from $260.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $215.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Alphabet from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $313.04.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum — market chatter centers on Gemini rollouts and product integrations that are boosting search, YouTube engagement and cloud demand, which investors see as durable monetization drivers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strong 2025 results — last quarter’s revenue and EPS beats and a 2025 rally have shifted sentiment toward growth, underpinning current valuations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets — multiple firms have raised price targets (including a recent $385 call), supporting upside expectations and multiple expansion. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic infrastructure moves — the Intersect acquisition (~$4.75B) and investments in data‑center/energy infrastructure bolster Google Cloud’s long‑term capacity and margin outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional conviction — large additions from firms like UBS and Berkshire signal durable investor confidence and can stabilize the stock amid short-term volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Re‑rating dynamics — Alphabet is increasingly valued like an AI growth name; that supports higher targets but makes the stock more sensitive to AI execution and capex signals. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader tech exposure (quantum etc.) — Alphabet’s work in quantum and other emerging areas provides optionality but is longer‑dated and not yet earnings‑driving. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — recent director and senior-executive stock sales have created headline risk and can pressure sentiment in the short term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory overhang — reports of a DOJ interest/probe tied to company policies remain an overhang that could amplify volatility if escalated. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term growth sensitivity — some analysts warn EPS growth may slow in 2026 as Alphabet ramps AI investments; that raises the importance of Cloud revenue acceleration to meet street expectations. Read More.

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.