Dakota Wealth Management Trims Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Dakota Wealth Management lowered its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 155,854 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 9,701 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for about 0.8% of Dakota Wealth Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $37,958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,901,000 after buying an additional 6,410 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,697,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 594,959 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $105,540,000 after acquiring an additional 41,132 shares during the last quarter. Joseph P. Lucia & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 3.7% in the second quarter. Joseph P. Lucia & Associates LLC now owns 3,134 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $556,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Grove Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the second quarter valued at approximately $319,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GOOG. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Truist Financial set a $350.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $279.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded Alphabet from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Nine 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alphabet has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.90.

Alphabet Stock Down 1.9%

GOOG opened at $307.15 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.72 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $321.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The company had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be given 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 7.77%.

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 news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.30, for a total value of $10,637,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,211,872 shares in the company, valued at $723,945,705.60. The trade was a 1.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 directly owned 8,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,798,832.60. The trade was a 23.66% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,112,482 shares of company stock valued at $119,145,289. 12.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.