Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Grows Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 704,873 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,728 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises approximately 2.3% of Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $171,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 2nd quarter worth about $21,944,208,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 17,667.7% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,245,075 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,686,640,000 after acquiring an additional 15,159,273 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 51.7% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,817,684 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $5,607,232,000 after acquiring an additional 10,843,853 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 516,559,609 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $91,033,300,000 after acquiring an additional 6,733,278 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 201.3% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 6,547,250 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,153,824,000 after acquiring an additional 4,374,542 shares during the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alphabet news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,337,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $662,526,494.12. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total value of $867,569.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,832.60. This represents a 23.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 222,409 shares of company stock worth $68,564,532 in the last quarter. 11.64% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOGL stock opened at $328.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.08. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $140.53 and a 52 week high of $340.49. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $315.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $259.50.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.90 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on GOOGL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Loop Capital raised Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $320.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on Alphabet from $225.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-two have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.40.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple ties Gemini to Siri, widening Gemini distribution and strengthening Alphabet’s AI moat — a material revenue/strategic positive for GOOGL that supports premium multiples and growth expectations. How Apple’s Gemini-Powered Siri Deal Will Impact Alphabet (GOOGL) Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst moves — Wolfe Research lifted its price target to $390, Raymond James upgraded to “strong buy” and raised targets (reports of a $400 target), and Deutsche Bank raised its target — fueling buy-side momentum and supporting upside expectations. Wolfe Research Adjusts Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Google pushes into AI shopping and other AI-enabled monetization avenues — analysts and outlets highlight accelerating product-led revenue opportunities that underpin long-term growth. Google’s Making a Splash in AI Shopping
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/market commentary: recent ~3–4% pullback called a routine consolidation within a long-term uptrend — suggests no fundamental change but signals caution for investors seeking cheaper entry points. Alphabet Cools After the Run: Buy Now or Wait for a Better Entry?
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo launched robotaxi service in Miami (business expansion) — growth opportunity for autonomous revenue but not yet material to near-term GAAP results. Waymo launches robotaxi service in Miami
• Negative Sentiment: NTSB opens an investigation after Waymo robotaxis were recorded illegally passing stopped school buses multiple times — raises regulatory, safety and reputational risks for Alphabet’s autonomous-driving unit and could lead to operational constraints or fines. US safety board opens probe into Waymo robotaxis passing stopped school buses
• Negative Sentiment: Federal judge allowed a consumer antitrust lawsuit over Google’s default-search payments to proceed — continued legal exposure that could affect search economics and ad revenue over time. Judge Orders Google to Face Consumer Antitrust Lawsuit Over Search

Alphabet Profile

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.