Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Trading Down 1.1% – Time to Sell?

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares were down 1.1% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $303.90 and last traded at $306.02. Approximately 20,074,373 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 23,743,082 shares. The stock had previously closed at $309.37.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and AI adoption — Alphabet topped EPS and revenue expectations, Google Cloud posted ~48% YoY growth with a $240B backlog and Gemini user/usage metrics continue to climb, supporting the longer-term AI monetization thesis. Alphabet’s Pullback: A Second Chance for Long-Term Investors?
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying / fund moves — Some large managers (BNP Paribas and others) materially increased GOOG exposure in recent 13F filings, signaling continued institutional conviction beneath the surface. Fund Update: BNP Paribas Asset Management Holding S.A. Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo operational progress — Waymo’s roll‑out of next‑gen Ojai robotaxis reduces execution risk for Alphabet’s self‑driving unit and adds a long‑term optionality narrative. Waymo begins deploying next-gen Ojai robotaxis to extend its U.S. lead
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector-wide AI CapEx wave — Hyperscalers are collectively planning roughly $700B in AI capex for 2026; this is validation of secular demand but raises competitive spending pressure across peers. Meta, Amazon, and Goolge Lead a $700 Billion Capex Wave
• Negative Sentiment: Bond issuance structure raises governance concerns — Alphabet’s large multi‑currency deal (including a 100‑year tranche) drew strong demand but has been criticized for limited protections/guardrails for bondholders, stoking worries about funding-heavy AI strategy and long‑dated credit risk. Alphabet bonds’ lack of guardrails highlights investor confidence
• Negative Sentiment: EU antitrust probe into search ad auctions — European regulators are investigating Google’s ad auction practices, creating regulatory uncertainty that could pressure ad monetization or require product/pricing changes. Google targeted by EU over its search advertising auction practices
• Negative Sentiment: Some large funds trimmed positions — Several institutional sellers (e.g., Neuberger Berman and others including reported reductions from Swiss National Bank filings) reduced GOOG exposure in quarter‑end 13F updates, which can amplify short‑term downward pressure. Fund Update: Neuberger Berman Group LLC Just Disclosed New Holdings

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on GOOG shares. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $250.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $279.00 price objective on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.90.

Alphabet Trading Down 1.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.69 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.31, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $322.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $274.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.15 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.52, for a total value of $202,512.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,163,524.48. This represents a 2.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.18, for a total transaction of $10,893,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,179,372 shares in the company, valued at $730,481,906.96. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,069,864 shares of company stock worth $105,985,041. 12.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alphabet

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Alphabet by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after acquiring an additional 6,410 shares in the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,697,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 140,320 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $24,891,000 after buying an additional 8,116 shares during the last quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC now owns 14,578 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,586,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sovereign Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Alphabet by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 58,542 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $10,385,000 after buying an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.