Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Shares Sold by Country Trust Bank

Country Trust Bank lessened its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 37.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 236,554 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 138,713 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 1.3% of Country Trust Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Country Trust Bank’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $57,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the second 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 period. Corsicana & Co. acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at about $54,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 37.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 324 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, S&T Bank PA increased its position in Alphabet by 40.2% during the 2nd quarter. S&T Bank PA now owns 345 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer praised Alphabet as “extraordinary,” reinforcing investor enthusiasm around the company’s AI leadership and growth narrative. Alphabet (GOOGL)’s extraordinary, says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Google is pushing product-level AI gains — adding image-generation to Chrome and a virtual assistant side panel — which supports ad/search monetization and user engagement upside. Google adds AI image generation to Chrome browser, side panel option for virtual assistant
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is accelerating strategic AI acquisitions and deals to bolster Gemini across media, voice and international markets — a sign management is doubling down on defensible AI distribution. Google Accelerates AI Deals to Strengthen Gemini in Media and Voice
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms reiterated buy ratings and upgrades for GOOGL this week, supporting near-term demand from momentum-driven investors. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Earns Buy Rating from Needham & Company LLC
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest entries show effectively zero reported short positions in the latest filings, but the data appears to contain anomalies (NaN/0) and is not a clear market signal. (internal short-interest data)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst previews expect earnings growth for the upcoming report, which could set the stage for another beat if AI ad/cloud momentum continues. Alphabet (GOOGL) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Google says it disrupted a major residential proxy network (IPIDEA), removing domains and protecting “millions” of devices — a reputational win demonstrating security capabilities and reducing operational risk. Google disrupts large residential proxy network, reducing devices used by operators by ‘millions’
• Negative Sentiment: The U.K. Competition & Markets Authority proposed rules forcing Google to give publishers opt-outs for AI summaries and greater transparency — this raises content licensing and product constraints in a major market. UK regulator proposes changes to Google search for publishers
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory pressure in the EU and U.K. (DMA guidance, proposed conduct rules) could force data/access sharing and limit some search/AI advantages — a structural risk to margins and competitive moat. U.K. Competition Watchdog Plans New Rules for Google’s AI Overviews Under Tech Law
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet agreed to a $135 million settlement over handling of cellular data, which includes changes to Play Store and Android setup screens — a modest direct hit but adds regulatory/legal costs and operational change. Google to Pay $135 Million to Settle Lawsuit Over Handling of Cellular Data

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOGL stock opened at $336.01 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $318.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $263.38. The firm has a market cap of $4.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.14, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.08. 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 1 year low of $140.53 and a 1 year high of $340.49.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $102.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOGL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised their price target on Alphabet from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $306.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Alphabet from $340.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. CICC Research raised their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $240.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Alphabet from $335.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Four equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $334.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,798,832.60. The trade was a 23.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.45, for a total transaction of $31,971.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,706,357.25. This trade represents a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 222,297 shares of company stock worth $68,531,851 in the last quarter. Corporate 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.