Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Acquires 6,792 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 0.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,380,271 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,792 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises 5.4% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $335,544,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in Alphabet by 2.3% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 2,546,012 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $448,684,000 after purchasing an additional 56,295 shares in the last quarter. Moment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter. Moment Partners LLC now owns 5,896 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,039,000 after buying an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Welch Group LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 64,262 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $11,325,000 after buying an additional 2,467 shares during the period. Brooktree Capital Management bought a new position in Alphabet during the second quarter worth about $352,000. Finally, Griffin Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Alphabet by 13.9% in the third quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. now owns 58,731 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $14,277,000 after acquiring an additional 7,180 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. HSBC lifted their price objective on Alphabet from $335.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “positive” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $268.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Alphabet from $340.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $326.31.

Alphabet Stock Down 0.8%

NASDAQ:GOOGL opened at $330.00 on Tuesday. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $140.53 and a twelve month high of $340.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.98 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $312.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $256.45.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.58. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. The business had revenue of $102.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market cap milestone and AI positioning — reports note Alphabet entered the roughly $4 trillion club as investor enthusiasm around its AI investments and platform advantages has accelerated interest in the stock. Alphabet Enters the $4 Trillion Club as AI Bets Reshape Big Tech
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud as a high‑growth profit driver — analysis highlights that AI demand could more than double Google Cloud’s net income and drive toward a ~$20B income run rate, supporting margin expansion and valuation. Will Alphabet’s Cloud Division Fuel $20 Billion in Income?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/partnership upgrades — coverage notes Bank of America revamped its view after Google announced two partnerships, a near‑term catalyst that can support upside via stronger revenue/strategic positioning. Bank of America revamps Alphabet stock after Google enters two key partnerships
• Positive Sentiment: Ad market competitiveness — industry comparisons argue Alphabet still holds the edge over newer players (e.g., Reddit) thanks to AI-driven ad tools and scale, supporting ad revenue resilience. RDDT vs. GOOGL: Which Digital Advertising Stock Has an Edge Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor buy lists emphasize long‑term AI exposure — several investor publications included Alphabet on “stocks to buy” lists for 2026 based on AI and cloud exposure; positive sentiment but broad and not an immediate catalyst. 2 Stocks to Buy in 2026 and Hold Forever
• Neutral Sentiment: Quantum and long‑term tech bets — multiple pieces revisit Alphabet’s leadership in quantum and AI research; important for long‑term optionality but unlikely to move near‑term earnings. 3 Top Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Competition risk in ads — analysis warns OpenAI’s push into the ad market could pose a structural threat to Google’s core ad business, a clear downside risk to growth and multiple. Warning Bells For Alphabet As OpenAI Enters Ad Market
• Negative Sentiment: Sector rotation / dispersion risk — coverage notes the “Magnificent Seven” are diverging and some AI darlings are now trailing the market, which can exacerbate volatility and pressure multiples if sentiment cools. The Magnificent Seven Drove Markets. Now They’re Pulling in Different Directions.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.48, for a total transaction of $9,213,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,337,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $662,526,494.12. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total value of $867,569.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,832.60. This trade represents a 23.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 189,909 shares of company stock worth $57,927,282 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 11.55% of the company’s stock.

About Alphabet

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google’s core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google’s consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.