China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Free Report) by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 70,798 shares of the information services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,534 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for approximately 1.4% of China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $17,243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Horrell Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 100.0% during the second quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 60.9% in the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 251 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
GOOG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $395.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. KeyCorp set a $370.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price objective (up from $355.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.90.
Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet
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 Trading Down 1.0%
Shares of GOOG stock opened at $311.69 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a current ratio of 2.01. The company has a market capitalization of $3.77 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.83, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.66 and a 52-week high of $350.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $321.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $280.89.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report) last announced 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 $2.59 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 return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The company’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.15 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Alphabet Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 7.77%.
Insider Activity at Alphabet
In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total transaction of $867,569.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,832.60. This represents a 23.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.30, for a total transaction of $10,637,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,211,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $723,945,705.60. This represents a 1.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 2,112,482 shares of company stock valued at $119,145,289 over the last quarter. Corporate 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.
Recommended Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Alphabet
- Elon Musk already made me a “wealthy man”
- Elon’s Secret AI Partner?
- Elon Musk: This Could Turn $100 into $100,000
- Buffett, Gates and Bezos Quietly Dumping Stocks—Here’s Why
- ~$1.5T SpaceX IPO: Pre-IPO Opportunity
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GOOG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Alphabet Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alphabet and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
