Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Cuts Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI lowered its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 189,234 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 5,543 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up about 3.4% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $46,088,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 416,753,033 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $73,927,821,000 after acquiring an additional 5,182,111 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Alphabet by 1.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,914,125 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $33,511,477,000 after purchasing an additional 2,428,266 shares in the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 580,897.4% during the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 135,087,705 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $23,963,208,000 after purchasing an additional 135,064,454 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 107,760,033 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $19,022,926,000 after purchasing an additional 441,177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 35,357,943 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $6,272,146,000 after purchasing an additional 2,117,990 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total value of $5,614,173.81. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 42,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,531,453.08. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.26, for a total transaction of $800,786.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 11,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,383,884.14. This trade represents a 19.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 195,465 shares of company stock valued at $57,056,497 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GOOG. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Alphabet from $215.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Truist Financial set a $350.00 target price on Alphabet in a research report on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $313.04.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum & monetization — Coverage highlights faster Gemini adoption, stronger YouTube/search integration and improving ad + cloud monetization that underpin revenue upside and multiple expansion. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional backing — Several firms have raised targets and big holders (including UBS AM and Berkshire additions reported last quarter) continue to build positions, supporting sentiment and limiting downside. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity/earnings plays — Several retail/strategy pieces outline income and defined‑risk option trades (one‑month OTM puts, butterfly spreads) ahead of earnings; these signal increased short‑term options flow and hedging but not a directional fundamental change. Butterfly spread idea
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term tech positioning — Pieces comparing legacy tech vs. pure‑play quantum note Alphabet as a lower‑risk way to get quantum/AI exposure, which appeals to investors preferring large‑cap stability over speculative small caps. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling headlines — Recent director and executive stock sales have been reported (SEC filings / press coverage); while routine for executives, high‑profile sell activity can weigh on near‑term sentiment. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory / lobbying overhang — New lobbying disclosures and reports of DOJ interest in company practices are drawing attention; escalation of enforcement or broad probes would increase volatility and could pressure multiples. Article

Alphabet Stock Up 0.5%

GOOG stock opened at $315.32 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.80 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $142.66 and a twelve month high of $328.67. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $302.26 and its 200-day moving average is $244.72.

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

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

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.