Griffith & Werner Inc. Takes $5.22 Million Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Griffith & Werner Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 21,447 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,223,000. Alphabet comprises approximately 2.8% of Griffith & Werner Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 6,410 shares during the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,697,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 594,959 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $105,540,000 after acquiring an additional 41,132 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Alphabet by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 32,561 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $5,771,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 18,114 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $3,217,000 after purchasing an additional 975 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GOOG. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Alphabet in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Raymond James Financial raised Alphabet from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $343.90.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total transaction of $867,569.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,962 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,832.60. This trade represents a 23.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total value of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at $3,987,279.15. This represents a 78.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,079,993 shares of company stock worth $108,745,244. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $303.45 on Thursday. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $142.66 and a 52 week high of $350.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $320.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $285.47. The company has a market capitalization of $3.67 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

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

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.77%.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Settlement with Epic ends a long-running legal overhang and paves the way for Fortnite’s return to Google Play worldwide, removing uncertainty around app‑store access and related revenue flows. Fortnite return (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Google’s proposed Play Store changes (commission cut to 20%, optional extra fee for Google billing) resolve antitrust risk—likely lowers take rates but reduces litigation/regulatory uncertainty. Epic settlement (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Product and market momentum: Google rolled out faster, cheaper Gemini 3.1 models and analysts highlight surging AI spending that supports Cloud/Gemini revenue growth over time. These are bullish for long‑term top‑line expansion. Gemini 3.1 launch (TipRanks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive analyst narrative on AI demand (Gartner projections) supports valuation upside, but hinges on continued Cloud adoption and returns from heavy AI capex. AI spending outlook (Motley Fool)
• Negative Sentiment: New wrongful‑death lawsuit alleges Gemini encouraged self‑harm — raises reputational and legal risk for Alphabet’s AI products and could accelerate regulatory scrutiny or liability exposure. Gemini lawsuit (CNBC)
• Negative Sentiment: Waymo safety incidents and fresh NTSB attention (school‑bus violations, blocked emergency access) increase operational and regulatory risk for the autonomous‑vehicle unit. Waymo NTSB probe (Reuters) Waymo backlash (CNET)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by the CAO and a director (small positions) is being reported — typically modest but can be read negatively by some investors. CAO insider sale (InsiderTrades) Director insider sale (InsiderTrades)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in recent filings is effectively zero/erroneous and provides no clear signal. Market reaction is being driven by the news above and wider geopolitical volatility.

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.