Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Shares Down 1% on Insider Selling

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s share price dropped 1% during mid-day trading on Monday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $309.99 and last traded at $311.69. Approximately 17,571,133 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average daily volume of 23,335,441 shares. The stock had previously closed at $314.90.

Specifically, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.92, for a total value of $9,877,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,818,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $856,605,814.08. The trade was a 1.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total value of $14,341,182.30. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This trade represents a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In other Alphabet news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.73, for a total value of $184,038.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 20,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,325,999.52. The trade was a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $335.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Pivotal Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Alphabet from $250.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $343.90.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street bullishness: Several firms (Wells Fargo, Mizuho and others) have upgraded or reiterated bullish ratings and raised price targets (median ~ $370, multiple targets much higher), supporting upside expectations for ad/Gemini growth. ‘Time to Get More Constructive,’ Says Wells Fargo on Alphabet Stock (GOOGL)
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships expand commercial reach: Alphabet struck a collaboration with Loblaw in Canada to embed Google shopping/AI capabilities, widening retail monetization touchpoints outside core U.S. markets. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Loblaw Companies Limited Enters into New Collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Product momentum in AI: Google launched Lyria 3 (DeepMind music-generation) in beta inside the Gemini app, showing ongoing product expansion that can drive engagement and new use cases for monetization. Alphabet (GOOGL) Expands AI Reach Amid Market Debate
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry capex context: Bridgewater estimates Big Tech will invest roughly $650B in AI infrastructure in 2026 — a sector-wide capital cycle that helps explain Alphabet’s spending plans but also signals competitive pressure on margins and suppliers. Big Tech to invest about $650 billion in AI in 2026, Bridgewater says
• Neutral Sentiment: Debate over AI capex sustainability: Social and industry commentary highlights that Alphabet is funding massive AI buildouts internally (versus peers using debt), creating long-term strategic advantages for suppliers but stirring free-cash-flow and energy-demand concerns. Alphabet Stock (GOOGL) Opinions on AI Infrastructure Expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Capex and cash-flow anxiety: Several pieces (and investor chatter) point to aggressive AI spending that could pressure free cash flow in 2026 — a headline driver that has weighed on the stock despite Alphabet’s large backlog and revenue growth. Alphabet: Don’t Let The CapEx Scare You Away From A $240B Backlog
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and governance headlines: Recent large insider sales (including CEO transactions reported) add short-term selling pressure and raise governance/optics concerns for some investors. Insider Selling: Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) CEO Sells $9,877,400.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Accounting scrutiny: High-profile skepticism (e.g., Michael Burry commentary) accusing Big Tech of using accounting/depreciation to mask AI costs is adding reputational and analytical headwinds that can amplify volatility. Michael Burry Warns MSFT, GOOG, META Are Using ‘Sinister’ Accounting

Alphabet Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $3.77 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $321.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $280.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.Alphabet’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.15 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOG. University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new position in Alphabet in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Horrell Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Alphabet by 100.0% during the second quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

About Alphabet

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.