BDF Gestion Trims Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

BDF Gestion decreased its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106,262 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 7,081 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up 4.1% of BDF Gestion’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. BDF Gestion’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $33,345,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in GOOG. Morse Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 3.3% during the third quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 1,093 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Robinson Smith Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.8% in the third quarter. Robinson Smith Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,070 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $504,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Searle & CO. increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% in the third quarter. Searle & CO. now owns 5,703 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,389,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% during the third quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 5,846 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,424,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, BankPlus Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.2% during the third quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,143 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $766,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 target price (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Alphabet from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $315.00 to $400.00 in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $345.71.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG stock opened at $280.74 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $314.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.73. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market cap of $3.40 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $142.66 and a 12 month high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its 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. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The business had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 presently 7.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This represents a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.21, for a total value of $10,439,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,244,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $720,914,730.12. This represents a 1.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 2,110,165 shares of company stock worth $118,134,117 over the last 90 days. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum — Google’s Gemini upgrades and other AI improvements are boosting Search engagement and product monetization potential, supporting the longer-term ad and cloud growth thesis. Analysts and AI-focused commentary highlight upside from AI-driven search/product improvements. Zacks: Alphabet Relies on AI to Boost Search Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/institutional support — Some firms have nudged up FY EPS estimates and price targets (Erste, MarketBeat coverage of broad analyst upgrades), reflecting confidence in cloud, search and Gemini monetization — a stabilizing factor for long-term holders. MarketBeat: Analyst Optimism and Upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational milestones — Waymo and DeepMind deals (robotics, AD miles) show execution in adjacent growth areas; positive for long-term optionality but limited near-term revenue impact. These are credibility wins but not big drivers of current quarter results. Blockonomi: Waymo Milestone
• Negative Sentiment: Landmark liability verdicts — A Los Angeles jury found Google (YouTube) liable in a youth social-media addiction case; the ruling is being framed as a bellwether that could spur more suits and regulatory scrutiny. Investors are pricing in higher legal/regulatory risk and potential compliance costs, which has pressured the stock today. Reuters: US jury verdicts tee up fight over tech liability shield
• Negative Sentiment: Sector spillover from AI/chip headlines — Google researchers’ memory-compression news (and the related debate) has sparked volatility across memory/chip suppliers; that throws a short-term cold shower on tech sentiment and can drive indiscriminate selling in megacaps despite the company being the source of the innovation. CNBC: Google AI breakthrough pressures memory chip stocks

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.