Global Trust Asset Management LLC Boosts Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Global Trust Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 44.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,955 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,765 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up 1.0% of Global Trust Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Global Trust Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $2,177,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in GOOGL. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 110,330 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $20,886,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,930 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,826,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Kooman & Associates bought a new stake in Alphabet during the second quarter valued at about $229,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet in the second quarter valued at about $67,000. Finally, Blue Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet by 5.4% in the second quarter. Blue Oak Capital LLC now owns 1,971 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.45, for a total value of $31,971.90. Following the sale, the director owned 18,205 shares in the company, valued at $5,706,357.25. This represents a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total transaction of $5,614,173.81. Following the transaction, the insider owned 42,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,531,453.08. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 222,297 shares of company stock worth $68,531,851. Company insiders own 11.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Alphabet from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Arete Research upped their price target on Alphabet from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Alphabet from $340.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, DZ Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-two have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $334.60.

Key Alphabet News

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 Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOGL opened at $336.01 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $140.53 and a 52-week high of $340.49. The stock has a market cap of $4.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.14, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $318.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $263.38.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.90 billion. Equities analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 EPS for the current year.

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.