Rakuten Securities Inc. Reduces Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Rakuten Securities Inc. decreased its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 31.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,513 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 6,196 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up about 1.2% of Rakuten Securities Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Rakuten Securities Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $3,291,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 400.0% during the second quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Robbins Farley raised its position in Alphabet by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 160 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 58.7% during the 2nd quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 165 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Fairman Group LLC lifted its stake in Alphabet by 121.3% during the 2nd quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.9%

Alphabet stock opened at $328.38 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $314.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $258.65. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $142.66 and a 12 month high of $341.20.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.58. The firm had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.12 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.45, for a total transaction of $31,971.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,205 shares in the company, valued at $5,706,357.25. This represents a 0.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were 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 represents a 23.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 192,687 shares of company stock valued at $58,728,068. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GOOG shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Alphabet from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Alphabet from $300.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Alphabet in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $321.97.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple plans to power an upgraded Siri with Google’s Gemini later this year — a major distribution win that could boost usage, licensing and model revenue for Alphabet if Gemini becomes the default assistant model on iPhones. Apple to Turn Siri Into AI Chatbot Powered by Google’s Gemini
• Positive Sentiment: Reports show a surge in sales of Gemini AI models, signaling stronger commercial adoption and improved monetization of Google Cloud/AI offerings. That supports revenue growth expectations tied to Alphabet’s AI stack. Google Sees Surge in Sales of Gemini AI Models
• Positive Sentiment: RBC and several sell-side firms have nudged targets/ratings higher on AI-driven ad and cloud momentum; fresh analyst price-target increases are supporting sentiment and likely contributing to the rally. RBC Raises Alphabet (GOOGL) Target on AI Advertising Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary and strategy pieces highlight Alphabet as a top AI beneficiary (Gemini, TPUs, cloud), and Berkshire Hathaway’s stake continues to be cited as a long-term confidence vote. These narratives underpin inflows and multiple expansion. Alphabet: Q4 Earnings Surprises May Not Be Just About AI
• Neutral Sentiment: YouTube leadership highlights the need to manage AI-generated content (“AI slop”) — an operational priority that may increase moderation costs or require product changes but also reflects responsible scaling of AI features. YouTube chief says ‘managing AI slop’ is a priority for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Isomorphic Labs (Google-backed) pushed clinical trials later in 2026 — a setback for that drug-discovery timeline but limited near-term impact on Alphabet’s core revenue. Google-backed AI drug discovery startup Isomorphic Labs delays clinical trial timeline
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-flow coverage noted that GOOG contributed to ETF (VTI) gains today — a sign institutional weight is helping performance but not a company-specific fundamental change. VTI is up 1.1% today, on GOOG stock price movement
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk: recent geopolitical/tariff rhetoric and broader tech pullbacks have knocked big-cap tech at times, creating short-term volatility that can offset positive fundamental news. America’s Biggest Tech Stocks Lead Tuesday’s Selloff as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Rattles Markets
• Negative Sentiment: Recent data show episodic larger intraday dips vs. the market and heavy insider selling disclosures in prior quarters—factors investors watch as potential near-term headwinds to sentiment. Here’s Why Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) Fell More Than Broader Market

Alphabet 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.