Washington Trust Bank Cuts Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Washington Trust Bank lessened its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 3.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 89,890 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 3,060 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 1.6% of Washington Trust Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Washington Trust Bank’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $21,852,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. lifted its position in Alphabet by 36.4% in the second quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 251 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Corsicana & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 37.9% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 324 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, S&T Bank PA increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 40.2% in the second quarter. S&T Bank PA now owns 345 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. 40.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Down 0.8%

GOOGL stock opened at $328.04 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $140.53 and a fifty-two week high of $340.49. The company has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.08. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $315.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $259.50. 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 (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $102.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.00% and a net margin of 32.23%. As a group, analysts forecast 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: 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

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total transaction of $867,569.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,798,832.60. This trade represents a 23.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total transaction of $5,614,173.81. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 42,972 shares in the company, valued at $13,531,453.08. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 222,409 shares of company stock valued at $68,564,532. 11.64% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on GOOGL shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Phillip Securities raised shares of Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, December 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $365.00 price objective (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-two have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.40.

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.