Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Stake Reduced by Caerus Investment Advisors LLC

Caerus Investment Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,481 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 23,159 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up 4.1% of Caerus Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Caerus Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $10,103,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of GOOG. Morse Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 1,093 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Robinson Smith Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 1.8% in the third quarter. Robinson Smith Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,070 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Searle & CO. raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% during the third quarter. Searle & CO. now owns 5,703 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,389,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Navellier & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% during the third quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 5,846 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,424,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BankPlus Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.2% during the third quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,143 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $766,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MoffettNathanson reiterated a Buy rating and kept a $350 price target, citing robust YouTube monetization and positioning Alphabet as a top media/ad franchise—this typically supports investor confidence in revenue upside. MoffettNathanson Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet paid a cash dividend ($0.21/share on March 16), signaling shareholder-friendly capital allocation and returning cash to investors—a direct positive for yield-seeking holders. Dividend Payout
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Alphabet’s massive multi‑year investments (reported at ~$346B) is being framed as driving durable growth and scale benefits to the bottom line—supportive for long-term earnings expectations. $346B Investment Boost
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters reports Google procurement teams in China are in talks to buy liquid cooling systems from Envicool and others—operational detail that may lower data‑center costs or raise supply/geopolitical considerations depending on outcomes. China Cooling Systems Talks
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in the aggregated feed shows anomalous zeroes for March (likely a reporting/data issue); no clear signal for increased bearish bets from that metric today.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of quantum computing competition (IBM vs. other players) notes Alphabet’s activity in the space but does not yet alter near‑term revenue—relevant for long‑range R&D narrative but not immediate earnings. Quantum Computing Landscape
• Negative Sentiment: European publishers and tech firms are pressing the EU to speed a probe and potential fine over Google Search self‑preferencing—an escalated regulatory risk that could hit search economics or lead to enforcement costs. EU Antitrust Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary flags valuation concerns (mid‑20s P/E) and rising capex/margin pressure despite AI-driven growth—this frames upside as dependent on sustained margin recovery and execution. Valuation Concerns

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This represents a 78.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,076,615 shares of company stock worth $107,809,111. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Alphabet from $330.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. KeyCorp set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 target price (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $345.71.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $309.41 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.74 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $319.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $292.22. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $142.66 and a 12-month high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.15 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.77%.

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.