Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Short Interest Update

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 44,038,271 shares, a growth of 26.8% from the March 15th total of 34,727,040 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 22,644,491 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on GOOG shares. Pivotal Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $420.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $348.00 price objective (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $346.03.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.92, for a total transaction of $9,877,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,818,524 shares in the company, valued at $856,605,814.08. This trade represents a 1.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.41, for a total transaction of $318,580.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,405,091.71. This trade represents a 18.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,068,744 shares of company stock valued at $104,505,914. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alphabet

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,410 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 76.2% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,865,304 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $330,886,000 after purchasing an additional 806,681 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 2nd quarter valued at $658,000. Financial Advisors Network Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 7,945 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 37,310 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,618,000 after purchasing an additional 3,616 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google is in advanced talks with the Pentagon to let its Gemini models run in classified environments — a potential large, strategic government contract that expands Gemini’s enterprise footprint and validates Google Cloud’s defense credentials. Google, Pentagon discuss classified AI deal, the Information reports
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet deepened enterprise reach via a partnership with private equity firm Thoma Bravo to push Gemini into a large software portfolio — accelerates go‑to‑market for cloud AI and could boost Google Cloud revenue over time. Alphabet (GOOGL) Teams Up with Thoma Bravo to Bring AI to $300 Billion Software Portfolio
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/partner wins: Google and Cadence announced collaboration to scale AI chip design with Gemini on Google Cloud — strengthens cloud ecosystem and positions Google for more platform engagements with semiconductor and enterprise customers. Cadence and Google Collaborate to Scale AI-Driven Chip Design with ChipStack AI Super Agent on Google Cloud
• Positive Sentiment: Product momentum: Google launched a Gemini app for macOS and rolled out new AI “skills” in Chrome — moves that support user engagement and cross‑platform adoption of Gemini features (positive for long‑term ad/Cloud monetization). Google (GOOGL) Launches Gemini App for Mac with New AI Features
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street bullishness and higher price targets (notably Citi and others raising targets) are supporting sentiment and options activity, underpinning upside expectations into upcoming events and earnings. Wall Street sets Google stock price target for the next twelve months
• Neutral Sentiment: Alaska filing disclosure revives attention on Alphabet’s stake in SpaceX — a potential one‑time asset value if SpaceX IPOs, but timing and realization remain uncertain for investors. Alphabet’s $122 Billion SpaceX Bombshell Just Surfaced In A Routine Alaska Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: TechCrunch reports Google blocked a record 8.3B ads in 2025 but suspended far fewer advertiser accounts — signals stronger automated enforcement but raises questions about platform policing; could affect advertiser trust over time. Google is now targeting bad ads over bad actors
• Negative Sentiment: The EU told Google it should allow third‑party search engines access to Google search data under the Digital Markets Act — a regulatory action that could weaken search monetization advantages in Europe and increase compliance costs. Google should allow third-party search engines access to data, EU says
• Negative Sentiment: Large legal exposure persists: reports highlight a $218B mass arbitration claim tied to ad tech/search rulings and a new Aptoide antitrust suit challenging Android app distribution — potential multi‑year litigation and settlements could pressure margins or result in restrictions. Alphabet Faces $218 Billion Mass Arbitration Claims Over Ad Tech And Search Rulings
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risk: OpenAI’s push into digital ads signals a potential new competitor for ad dollars and attention, which could pressure long‑term ad growth assumptions if execution succeeds. OpenAI Pushes Into Digital Ads, Setting Up New Competition with Alphabet (GOOGL) and Meta (META)

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $334.31. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,143,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,236,600. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $305.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $300.61. Alphabet has a one year low of $148.40 and a one year high of $350.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.04 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.13.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. Alphabet’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.15 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Alphabet will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

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

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.