Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Trading Down 2% on Insider Selling

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s stock price fell 2% on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $328.52 and last traded at $333.04. 64,497,395 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 97% from the average session volume of 32,744,967 shares. The stock had previously closed at $339.71.

Specifically, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 933 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.55, for a total transaction of $314,001.15. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,337,229.80. This trade represents a 8.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $35,060,852.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total transaction of $34,680.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,307 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,224,380. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. China Renaissance lifted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $207.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $375.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Phillip Securities raised shares of Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Alphabet from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-two have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $336.60.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waymo raised $16 billion in a financing round valuing the unit at about $126B — reduces Alphabet’s near‑term cash burden for autonomous driving and validates Waymo as a high‑value asset. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud scored a five‑year AI/cloud deal with Liberty Global to deploy Gemini models across major European cable operators — a meaningful enterprise win for Cloud/AI monetization. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Humana launched an AI agent assist built on Google Cloud, showing continued vertical adoption of Google’s AI stack in healthcare — adds proof points for Cloud/AI customer traction. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: WSJ reports Google is investing heavily in renewables and grid deals to secure data‑center power for AI — improves long‑term operating reliability and cost outlook for Cloud. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Street expectations are high for Q4 (Search and Cloud momentum) — upside if results beat, but elevated expectations increase downside risk if guidance or AI monetization details disappoint. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts raised targets (Jefferies, Bernstein and others) — mixed signals that can amplify intraday swings around the print. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling: Alphabet’s CAO sold 933 shares (small reduction) — typically a modest signal but noted by traders. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Talent movement: Microsoft hired a Google exec for a security role — a minor talent‑flow headline that traders may watch but is unlikely to move fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The Justice Department and states will appeal a prior antitrust ruling on Google Search/Chrome — keeps legal overhang and potential future remedies on the table. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Waymo faces heightened regulatory scrutiny and a Senate hearing on safety after federal probes — raises execution and PR risk for Alphabet’s autonomous unit despite the large financing. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Google agreed to pay ~$135M to settle an Android data‑transfer lawsuit — a tangible legal expense and reminder of ongoing regulatory/legal costs. Read More.

Alphabet Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.84, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $321.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $268.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. 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 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. On average, research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 36.4% in the 2nd quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 251 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in Alphabet during the third quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co increased its holdings in Alphabet by 142.9% during the fourth quarter. Kentucky Trust Co now owns 170 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google’s core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google’s consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.