Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Trims Stock Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,336 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 2,180 shares during the quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $11,529,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Tradewinds LLC. boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 2,134.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 45,098 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $10,984,000 after purchasing an additional 43,080 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its holdings in Alphabet by 31.3% in 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 during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 157,143 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $38,272,000 after acquiring an additional 3,444 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter valued at approximately $900,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Alphabet by 3.7% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,164,341 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $206,542,000 after buying an additional 42,028 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large AI-infrastructure customer win — Meta has agreed to rent Google’s Tensor Processing Units for model training, a multibillion‑dollar deal that directly supports Google Cloud & TPU revenue and validates Google’s chip strategy. Google signs multibillion-dollar AI chip deal with Meta, Information reports
• Positive Sentiment: Product momentum in generative AI — Google launched Nano Banana 2, an upgraded, faster image‑generation model that improves UX in Gemini/Search and can increase user engagement across Google properties. Google rolls out Nano Banana 2 after viral success of AI image generation tool
• Positive Sentiment: Cloud/AI fundamentals remain strong — analyst commentary highlights accelerating Google Cloud revenue and AI demand (large backlog cited), reinforcing the growth narrative that underpins long‑term earnings. AI Push Provides a Boost to GOOGL’s Cloud Business: More Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Wells Fargo recently upgraded Alphabet, which can help sentiment and provide buying interest amid pullbacks. Wells Fargo upgrades Alphabet (GOOG)
• Neutral Sentiment: Robotics and AV consolidation — Alphabet folded robotics software unit Intrinsic into Google and is expanding Waymo testing (Chicago/Charlotte); strategic for long‑term diversification but limited near‑term revenue impact. Alphabet-owned robotics software company Intrinsic joins Google
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst/market takes — coverage pieces compare Alphabet to other AI/cloud players; useful for framing valuation debates but not an immediate catalyst. Must-Track Streaming Stocks in the Evolving Media Landscape
• Negative Sentiment: CapEx and margin worries — market commentary and forum summaries point to investor anxiety over very large AI infrastructure spending (prior guidance and projected 2026 capex), which can pressure margins and drove earlier after‑hours weakness. Alphabet Stock (GOOG) Opinions on Q4 Earnings and Capex Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Hidden/long‑term infrastructure obligations — a Moody’s‑cited report highlights large off‑balance‑sheet data‑center lease commitments across hyperscalers, underscoring potential future costs and financing risks. Hidden AI Costs? Big Tech Hyperscalers Hold $662 Billion In Off-Balance-Sheet Data Center Leases: Report
• Negative Sentiment: Positioning changes and selling — some funds have trimmed GOOGL stakes and there are reports of insider/manager selling that can add downward pressure in a pullback. MIG Capital Cuts Alphabet Inc. Class C Stake

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.73, for a total value of $184,038.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,325,999.52. This represents a 2.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total value of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This represents a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,112,482 shares of company stock worth $119,145,289. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price target (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, January 5th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised Alphabet from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $343.90.

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOG stock opened at $307.15 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.72 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $321.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $282.05. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.66 and a 52-week high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $113.83 billion during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.15 EPS. Analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Alphabet 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.