Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Trading Down 1.5% After Insider Selling

Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) dropped 1.5% during trading on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $329.63 and last traded at $330.47. Approximately 14,433,844 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 32% from the average daily volume of 21,124,398 shares. The stock had previously closed at $335.40.

Specifically, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.65, for a total transaction of $348,232.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,581 shares in the company, valued at $1,187,638.65. The trade was a 22.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp set a $370.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Phillip Securities lowered shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $346.03.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google has embedded Gemini into Chrome for ~3.5 billion users and added “Skills for Gemini,” which puts AI prompts into the purchase journey — a distribution boost for Gemini that could lift ad engagement and cloud/AI services monetization. Google Embeds AI Into Chrome for 3.5 Billion Users
• Positive Sentiment: Vodafone will offer advanced cybersecurity and agentic AI to small-business customers through its strategic Google Cloud tie‑up, expanding Google Cloud’s go‑to‑market reach in Europe and recurring-revenue potential. Vodafone offers small businesses cybersecurity, AI capability with Google tie-up
• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Alphabet to $375 (from $348) while citing Cloud strength and easing ad‑share fears tied to ChatGPT — analyst support helps underpin investor sentiment ahead of Cloud Next and upcoming earnings. UBS Raises Alphabet’s Target to $375
• Neutral Sentiment: Google is rolling Gemini in Chrome into new Asia‑Pacific markets (Australia, Indonesia, etc.), increasing international reach but with monetization and adoption still to play out. Google Tightens Global Grip as Gemini in Chrome Expands
• Neutral Sentiment: Google’s new inference‑focused TPU roadmap and reports of talks with suppliers (e.g., Marvell) signal stronger cloud differentiation and margin potential — but some partnership reports remain unconfirmed and timing is uncertain. Google to Release New AI Chips, Challenging Nvidia
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar is in advanced talks to lease ~300k sq ft of Google’s Thompson Center redevelopment in Chicago — reduces real‑estate vacancy risk but is a modest operational detail versus core business drivers. Morningstar to lease big chunk of Loop’s Thompson Center from Google
• Negative Sentiment: A reported 13F filing from Cardano Risk Management shows massive (~90%) reductions in GOOG/GOOGL holdings — if accurate, large paper cuts can create short‑term selling pressure (filing/parse caveats apply). Fund Update: Cardano Risk Management Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director John Hennessy disclosed a sale of 1,050 shares in mid‑April — a small sale value‑wise but often read negatively by momentum traders. Insider Selling: John Hennessy SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting Google leaders’ anxiety about losing the AI coding/tools race and competitive pressure from Nvidia/others may be weighing on sentiment, amplifying rotation out of some tech names. Why Google Leaders Are Becoming Anxious About Losing the AI Coding Race

Alphabet Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.00 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $306.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $303.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 11.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid 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 7.77%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Maridea Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 7.3% during the first quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,360 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $11,004,000 after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Oak Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.3% in the first quarter. Laurel Oak Wealth Management LLC now owns 28,641 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $8,216,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.5% in the first quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 8,873 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,545,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Fullerton Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 14.2% in the first quarter. Fullerton Advisors LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $724,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VCI Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.3% in the first quarter. VCI Wealth Management LLC now owns 40,680 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $11,670,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.