Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Buys 13,980 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 36.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 51,830 shares of the information services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,980 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $17,661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GOOG. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.3% during the first quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,508 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $3,094,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 4,844 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Wisconsin Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wisconsin Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,223 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $785,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Financial Planning LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cypress Financial Planning LLC now owns 2,198 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Johnson Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,842 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG opened at $278.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a current ratio of 2.79. The company has a market capitalization of $3.40 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.52, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $335.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $338.25. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $271.41 and a 1 year high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The information services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.01 by ($0.89). Alphabet had a net margin of 50.03% and a return on equity of 43.33%. The business had revenue of $127.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $127.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.40 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on GOOG shares. Arete Research raised their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $425.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Phillip Securities raised shares of Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $450.00 to $425.00 in a report on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $460.00 price target (down from $485.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $413.54.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud delivered exceptional growth. Revenue more than doubled year over year to approximately $30.7 billion, while operating margins expanded and the backlog reached roughly $561 billion. This supports the view that Alphabet’s AI investments are generating demand. Alphabet Cloud Business Article
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s AI platform may create new revenue streams. OpenAI reportedly plans to use Google’s tensor-processing units, while Gemini performance and expanding AI Search advertising could help Alphabet compete in the AI infrastructure market. Analysts including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan remain constructive, despite lowering price targets. OpenAI Google AI Chips Article
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation has become more attractive. Reports place GOOG’s price-to-earnings ratio near 14.6, the lowest level in many years, prompting some investors to characterize the selloff as a potential long-term buying opportunity. Google Valuation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo is expanding internationally. Alphabet’s autonomous-driving unit will test Toyota bZ4X robotaxis in Japan and the U.K., but the business remains small and cash-burning. Waymo Toyota Partnership Article
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly results missed expectations. Alphabet reported approximately $2.12 in earnings per share and $127.6 billion in revenue, below consensus forecasts. Search revenue grew but missed estimates, and AI-powered searches are reportedly harder to monetize than traditional searches. Alphabet Search Earnings Article
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is straining cash flow. Capital expenditures and infrastructure commitments pushed free cash flow approximately $9 billion negative for the quarter, raising concerns about returns on Alphabet’s enormous AI investment program and potential financing or dilution. Tech Giants AI Spending Article
• Negative Sentiment: Additional earnings pressure came from investments and legal risk. An unrealized loss on Alphabet’s SpaceX stake reduced earnings, while multiple law firms publicized securities class-action deadlines tied to alleged AI disclosures. These lawsuits are largely investor notices, but they add reputational and headline risk. Alphabet Class Action Notice

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total value of $28,257.35. Following the sale, the director directly owned 19,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,494,424.20. This trade represents a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 247 shares of company stock valued at $79,238. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent organization of Google. Founded in 2015 through a corporate restructuring, Alphabet oversees Google and a collection of businesses focused on technology, online services, communications, artificial intelligence, and other emerging areas.

Google’s principal products and services include its internet search engine, digital advertising platforms, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Workspace. The company also provides cloud computing, data storage, cybersecurity, productivity, and artificial intelligence services through Google Cloud.