Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Stock Position Lessened by Auto Owners Insurance Co

Auto Owners Insurance Co lessened its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 19.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 466,996 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 113,804 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up approximately 2.9% of Auto Owners Insurance Co’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Auto Owners Insurance Co’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $113,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tradewinds LLC. boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 2,134.8% in the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 45,098 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $10,984,000 after purchasing an additional 43,080 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 31.3% during the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 354,529 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $86,345,000 after purchasing an additional 84,553 shares in the last quarter. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Alphabet by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 221,391 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $53,920,000 after buying an additional 2,009 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its position in Alphabet by 2.2% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 157,143 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $38,272,000 after purchasing an additional 3,444 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank of Texas bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth about $900,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $309.41 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $319.00 and a 200 day moving average of $292.22. The company has a market capitalization of $3.74 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.66 and a 52-week high of $350.15.

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

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GOOG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $345.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Truist Financial set a $350.00 price target on Alphabet in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $348.00 target price (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $345.71.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

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, 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 transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the transaction, the insider owned 13,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This trade represents a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the firm’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 value of $35,060,852.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,076,615 shares of company stock worth $107,809,111. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Company Profile

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.