Gradient Investments LLC Sells 49,431 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Gradient Investments LLC lowered its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 14.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 295,956 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 49,431 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises 1.4% of Gradient Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $100,844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Denali Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 14.8% during the second quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 105,988 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $37,449,000 after purchasing an additional 13,700 shares during the period. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 275,943 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $86,596,000 after purchasing an additional 2,850 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 298.2% in the 2nd quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,229 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $7,854,000 after purchasing an additional 16,647 shares during the period. Montchanin Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $7,075,000. Finally, Sax Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Alphabet by 13.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 30,489 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $10,773,000 after purchasing an additional 3,575 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Down 1.0%

NASDAQ GOOG traded down $3.42 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $343.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,081,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,390,340. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market capitalization of $4.21 trillion, a PE ratio of 17.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $342.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $346.43. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $236.68 and a 52 week high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. The business had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.31 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Monday, September 7th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 4.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total value of $28,257.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 19,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,494,424.20. This represents a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 196,931 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.46, for a total value of $3,832,277.26. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 441,399 shares of company stock worth $8,677,053 over the last ninety days. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Isomorphic Labs valuation could validate Alphabet’s AI portfolio. The Alphabet-backed drug-discovery startup is reportedly seeking funding at a valuation of at least $40 billion, potentially reaching $50 billion. A successful financing round could highlight the value of Alphabet’s AI assets beyond advertising and cloud services. Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs seeks valuation of at least $40 billion in new funding round
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo secured $5 billion in debt financing from Blackstone, PIMCO and Sixth Street to accelerate robotaxi expansion. The funding provides additional capital for Alphabet’s autonomous-driving unit without requiring an immediate equity contribution from the parent company. Waymo locks in $5B loan from Blackstone, PIMCO to fuel robotaxi expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Google is broadening commercial applications for Gemini and cloud. Google Cloud is deploying Gemini models with Balyasny Asset Management, while an education partnership will provide Gemini Enterprise to more than 30,000 users. These deals offer evidence of enterprise demand and potential returns on Alphabet’s substantial AI infrastructure spending. Balyasny Asset Management Deploys Gemini Models for Agentic Financial Research
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term power agreements support AI data-center expansion. Alphabet’s nuclear and utility arrangements are designed to secure reliable electricity for data centers, reducing a key bottleneck for cloud and AI growth. Its Unity gaming partnership and new AI media-authentication tools also expand Alphabet’s product ecosystem. Google and Constellation Energy sign latest nuclear energy deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain overwhelmingly bullish. Reports cite unanimous positive coverage and price targets well above the current trading range, but some analysts warn that Alphabet’s premium valuation leaves little room for disappointing AI returns. Alphabet Price Prediction: 56 Analysts Bullish, Zero Sells
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder litigation remains an overhang. Multiple law firms are promoting a securities class action alleging that Alphabet failed to disclose issues related to the anticipated Gemini 3.5 Pro launch and training performance. The allegations are unresolved, but they could increase legal costs and reputational risk. Alphabet Shareholder Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and capital-spending risks are rising. Google was ordered to pause work on two Finnish data centers pending environmental assessments, while commentary points to negative free cash flow and higher debt as AI spending accelerates. These issues could pressure margins if AI monetization fails to keep pace with infrastructure investment. Google ordered to halt work on two data centers in Finland

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOG has been the topic of several research reports. Freedom Capital raised shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Rosenblatt Securities started coverage on Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $455.00 to $465.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $421.95.

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent company of Google. Established in 2015 through a corporate restructuring, Alphabet oversees Google and a collection of businesses focused on technology, innovation and emerging industries. Sundar Pichai serves as Alphabet’s chief executive officer and also leads Google.

Google is Alphabet’s primary business and operates an internet ecosystem that includes Google Search, online advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and Google Photos.