Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Holdings Lifted by Great Lakes Advisors LLC

Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 3.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,135,019 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,392 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises 2.3% of Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $275,924,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in Alphabet during the second quarter worth $31,000. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 36.4% during the 2nd quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 251 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. Corsicana & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 37.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 324 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOGL stock opened at $309.00 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $321.51 and a 200-day moving average of $273.62. 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 $140.53 and a 12 month high of $349.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.73 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.09.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.57 by $0.25. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The business had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.18, for a total value of $10,893,350.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,179,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $730,481,906.96. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total value of $34,680.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,224,380. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 2,067,086 shares of company stock valued at $105,184,255 in the last ninety days. 11.64% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $225.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Alphabet from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $385.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Pivotal Research boosted their target price on Alphabet from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Phillip Securities upgraded Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $361.64.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifted targets — Arete and New Street recently raised price targets (to $405 and $380 respectively), underscoring continued buy-side conviction around Alphabet’s AI and cloud leadership. Arete Research Adjusts Price Target on Alphabet
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud monetization and AI demand remain strong — recent coverage highlights robust Cloud revenue growth and improving profitability from AI workstreams, supporting longer‑term revenue trajectory. Google Cloud Is Turning AI Demand Into Profits
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo product rollout advances — Waymo began deploying sixth‑generation Ojai robotaxis, which the company says are lower‑cost and more weather‑capable, a tangible execution milestone for Alphabet’s autonomous‑vehicle unit. Waymo Begins Deploying Next‑Gen Ojai Robotaxis
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional support — Some major firms (e.g., JPMorgan) are reiterating buy views, which can help stabilize sentiment after short‑term weakness. JPMorgan Chase Reiterates Buy Rating for Alphabet
• Neutral Sentiment: Century bond drew strong demand — Alphabet’s rare 100‑year bond saw heavy uptake (pension buyers), providing low‑cost financing for AI capex but raising debate about long‑dated debt risks. Investors view this as both a funding positive and a longer‑term leverage concern. Why Alphabet’s 100‑Year Bond Is Raising New Fears
• Negative Sentiment: EU antitrust probe into search ad auctions — Regulators in Europe have opened inquiries into Google’s sale of search ads, a regulatory risk that could pressure ad economics or require product changes if enforcement follows. Google Targeted by EU Over Search Ad Auction Practices
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy 2026 capex plan fuels profit‑and‑monetization fears — Coverage highlights a $175B–$185B capex plan for AI infrastructure; that large spend profile is creating near‑term free‑cash‑flow and margin anxiety, which has been cited as a reason for recent share weakness. Alphabet Drops 7% Post Q4 Earnings

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.