Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Free Report) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,453 shares of the information services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,471 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $6,732,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 446,558 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $140,130,000 after acquiring an additional 3,729 shares during the period. CMC Financial Group acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $462,000. Slagle Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at about $247,000. Diversified Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,943,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.
Alphabet Stock Up 1.4%
GOOG stock opened at $342.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $308.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.62. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $149.49 and a 12 month high of $350.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.14 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.13.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.15 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 11.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Alphabet Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 7.77%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages have weighed in on GOOG. Truist Financial set a $385.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Pivotal Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 price objective on Alphabet and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $351.73.
Read Our Latest Analysis on GOOG
Key Alphabet News
Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Google confirmed a planned up to $40 billion commitment to AI startup Anthropic — $10B invested now and up to $30B contingent on performance — signaling a deep strategic partnership that should drive Google Cloud revenue, TPU demand and long‑term AI market share. PYMNTS: Google Doubles Down on Anthropic
- Positive Sentiment: Market and media reaction pushed GOOGL coverage higher today: outlets and traders flagged the deal as bullish for Google Cloud, TPU sales and infrastructure partners, contributing to the stock uptick. Blockonomi: Stock Climbs on $40B Anthropic Partnership
- Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s recent fundamentals and AI product momentum (Gemini, TPU launches, Cloud partnerships) give investors confidence the Anthropic deal can translate into higher monetization and ad/search engagement — analysts have raised targets and reiterated buys ahead of Q1 earnings. ProactiveInvestors: Buy Rating Ahead of Q1
- Neutral Sentiment: The additional $30B is contingent on milestones — positive if targets are met, but it spreads the cash out over time and ties part of the commitment to execution risk and market conditions. TechCrunch: Google to Invest Up to $40B in Anthropic
- Neutral Sentiment: Global AI competition is intensifying (including from Chinese players) — this validates demand but keeps pricing and product dynamics uncertain. Yahoo Finance: China’s DeepSeek Preview
- Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: the EU is pressing Google to give AI rivals access to Android features — any mandated access could weaken parts of Google’s mobile moat and limit competitive advantage for Gemini on Android. PYMNTS: EU Pressure on Android Access
- Negative Sentiment: Scale of AI spending and infrastructure roll‑outs raises CapEx and free‑cash‑flow pressure; investors should watch upcoming Q1 results and FCF guidance for signs the investments are converting into profitable growth. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Preview — CapEx Risks
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $35,060,852.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.41, for a total transaction of $318,580.50. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,037,294 shares of company stock valued at $94,216,897. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.
About Alphabet
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.
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