Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Holdings Decreased by NS Partners Ltd

NS Partners Ltd decreased its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 5.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 498,529 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 30,911 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 7.6% of NS Partners Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. NS Partners Ltd’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $176,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GOOG. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter worth $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s AI expansion remains the main bullish catalyst. WeatherNext 3 is being integrated into Search, Maps and Gemini, while new voice-driven Gemini features are rolling out in Gmail, Docs and Keep, creating potential for broader user engagement and monetization. Alphabet Just Gave Search, Maps and Gemini a New AI Advantage
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism is building around Google Cloud, AI services, hardware and long-term earnings growth. Wolfe Research named Alphabet a top pick for 2027, while other coverage highlights strong recent Cloud growth and a median price target well above current trading levels. Alphabet Stock Opinions on Strong Cloud Growth Prospects
• Positive Sentiment: A federal judge declined to force a breakup of Google’s ad-technology business, reducing the most severe regulatory risk, although operational restrictions remain. The decision also supports Alphabet’s ability to retain its existing ad-tech infrastructure. Google Spared From Ad-Business Breakup
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s clean-energy partnerships, including Google-backed battery storage and geothermal projects, strengthen power availability for data centers but are unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Google’s New Energy Project Gives Eos Energy a Key Technology Validation
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Alphabet’s roughly $44.9 billion quarterly capital expenditure pushed free cash flow negative for the first time since its IPO. The spending may support future AI and Cloud returns, but it increases execution risk and weighs on near-term valuation. 3 Stocks Built for Higher Rates
• Negative Sentiment: Stronger-than-expected employment data lifted Treasury yields and reduced expectations for near-term rate cuts, pressuring large technology stocks. Alphabet also faces investor concern over delayed Gemini releases, ongoing ad-tech remedies, and shareholder securities-fraud investigations. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Alphabet

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $335.31 on Friday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $346.96 and its 200 day moving average is $340.71. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $232.38 and a 12 month high of $404.47. The company has a market capitalization of $4.10 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.84, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.21.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.Alphabet’s quarterly revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.31 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.5 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is presently 4.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Roth Capital boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price target (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, July 17th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Alphabet from $375.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities began coverage on Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $415.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $387,061.50. Following the sale, the director owned 1,481 shares in the company, valued at $545,941.03. This represents a 41.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total value of $149,606.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares in the company, valued at $9,125,015.20. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 451,925 shares of company stock valued at $12,371,544. 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.