Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Stock Price Down 1.1% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) traded down 1.1% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $350.22 and last traded at $351.16. Approximately 29,380,774 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 6% from the average session volume of 31,124,047 shares. The stock had previously closed at $354.97.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary continues to identify Alphabet as a leading large-cap technology opportunity, with some forecasts suggesting substantial upside into 2027. Alphabet also retains a consensus “Buy” recommendation. 3 Big Tech Stocks With the Most Upside Right Now
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is expanding its consumer AI strategy with the $899 Googlebook, positioning ChromeOS and Gemini in a more premium laptop market. Pre-orders and the higher price point could create a new hardware and AI monetization opportunity, although sales volumes remain unproven. Google’s $899 Googlebook is a bet that you’ll buy a new laptop for Gemini
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo plans to let riders as young as 13 use its robotaxis in Nashville, broadening the potential customer base and signaling an effort to accelerate commercial scale for Alphabet’s autonomous-driving unit. Waymo’s latest expansion strategy: teenagers
• Positive Sentiment: Agreements with Georgia Power to upgrade nuclear plants, together with Alphabet’s support for a Kairos Power reactor, could improve long-term electricity availability for data centers as AI infrastructure demand grows. Southern Co unit signs deal with Google to add nuclear capacity

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GOOGL shares. Pivotal Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $475.00 price target (up from $470.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $395.00 price objective (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Alphabet from $400.00 to $379.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $422.16.

Alphabet Trading Down 1.1%

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $345.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $345.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.64. The stock has a market cap of $4.29 trillion, a P/E ratio of 17.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.22.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $6.22. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. The company had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.07 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John Walker sold 8,998 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total transaction of $3,142,911.42. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,298,044.10. This trade represents a 10.68% 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, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 196,931 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.46, for a total value of $3,832,277.26. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 450,875 shares of company stock valued at $11,984,482. Company insiders own 11.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. EMC Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Core Capital Management & Research inc. bought a new stake in Alphabet during the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Premier Financial Group purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology and holding company founded in 2015 through a restructuring of Google. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and operates globally, serving consumers, businesses, advertisers and developers across numerous countries and regions.

Alphabet’s largest business is Google Services, which includes Google Search, online advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and hardware products such as Pixel devices. These products support activities including internet search, digital content distribution, mobile computing, online communications and advertising.