Franchise Capital Ltd Takes Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Franchise Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 26,500 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,454,000. Alphabet accounts for 2.8% of Franchise Capital Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 962,285 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $234,365,000 after buying an additional 23,312 shares during the period. Melfa Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 15.0% in the third quarter. Melfa Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,914 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Blalock Williams LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $1,341,000. PTM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, Orin Green Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 0.4% in the third quarter. Orin Green Financial LLC now owns 9,836 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,396,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.9%

GOOG stock opened at $328.38 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $314.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $258.65. The company has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $142.66 and a fifty-two week high of $341.20.

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

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple plans to power an upgraded Siri with Google’s Gemini later this year — a major distribution win that could boost usage, licensing and model revenue for Alphabet if Gemini becomes the default assistant model on iPhones. Apple to Turn Siri Into AI Chatbot Powered by Google’s Gemini
• Positive Sentiment: Reports show a surge in sales of Gemini AI models, signaling stronger commercial adoption and improved monetization of Google Cloud/AI offerings. That supports revenue growth expectations tied to Alphabet’s AI stack. Google Sees Surge in Sales of Gemini AI Models
• Positive Sentiment: RBC and several sell-side firms have nudged targets/ratings higher on AI-driven ad and cloud momentum; fresh analyst price-target increases are supporting sentiment and likely contributing to the rally. RBC Raises Alphabet (GOOGL) Target on AI Advertising Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary and strategy pieces highlight Alphabet as a top AI beneficiary (Gemini, TPUs, cloud), and Berkshire Hathaway’s stake continues to be cited as a long-term confidence vote. These narratives underpin inflows and multiple expansion. Alphabet: Q4 Earnings Surprises May Not Be Just About AI
• Neutral Sentiment: YouTube leadership highlights the need to manage AI-generated content (“AI slop”) — an operational priority that may increase moderation costs or require product changes but also reflects responsible scaling of AI features. YouTube chief says ‘managing AI slop’ is a priority for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Isomorphic Labs (Google-backed) pushed clinical trials later in 2026 — a setback for that drug-discovery timeline but limited near-term impact on Alphabet’s core revenue. Google-backed AI drug discovery startup Isomorphic Labs delays clinical trial timeline
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-flow coverage noted that GOOG contributed to ETF (VTI) gains today — a sign institutional weight is helping performance but not a company-specific fundamental change. VTI is up 1.1% today, on GOOG stock price movement
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk: recent geopolitical/tariff rhetoric and broader tech pullbacks have knocked big-cap tech at times, creating short-term volatility that can offset positive fundamental news. America’s Biggest Tech Stocks Lead Tuesday’s Selloff as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Rattles Markets
• Negative Sentiment: Recent data show episodic larger intraday dips vs. the market and heavy insider selling disclosures in prior quarters—factors investors watch as potential near-term headwinds to sentiment. Here’s Why Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Fell More Than Broader Market

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 42,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,531,453.08. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.26, for a total transaction of $800,786.28. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 11,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,383,884.14. The trade was a 19.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 192,687 shares of company stock worth $58,728,068. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on GOOG. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Alphabet from $280.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $335.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays increased their price target on Alphabet from $250.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Alphabet from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $321.97.

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.