Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Shares Down 3.8% – Time to Sell?

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) shares traded down 3.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $337.45 and last traded at $337.83. 35,248,111 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 13% from the average session volume of 31,149,025 shares. The stock had previously closed at $351.16.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure and innovation: Google plans to launch its first experimental AI satellite on October 1 under Project Suncatcher. Although the project is still highly speculative, investors view the test as evidence of Alphabet’s willingness to pursue potentially lower-cost, space-based computing infrastructure. Google plans first test of AI chips in space under Project Suncatcher
• Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond search: Waymo is preparing commercial autonomous-ride expansions in Tokyo and Las Vegas, while Alphabet’s Wing is partnering with Lowe’s and DoorDash on drone delivery. These initiatives could create additional long-term revenue streams, though they remain investment-heavy. Waymo is Taking Robotaxis to Tokyo
• Positive Sentiment: Cloud and Gemini adoption: Google Cloud signed a five-year AI and cloud partnership with BNP Paribas, and Gemini is expanding into business phone calls and AI-enabled shopping. These developments support the investment case that Alphabet can monetize AI across enterprise and consumer products. BNP Paribas to keep sensitive data off public cloud despite Google deal
• Neutral Sentiment: AI strategy remains a key debate: Analysts are comparing Alphabet’s agentic-AI approach with Meta’s, while Google, OpenAI and Anthropic reportedly plan an AI safety standards body. The initiatives could improve trust and regulatory coordination but may also highlight the risks and costs of developing advanced AI.
• Negative Sentiment: Risks limiting gains: A Google AI-chip employee reportedly resigned over concerns about superintelligent AI, adding to scrutiny of Alphabet’s safety practices. Google is also changing European Search results to comply with the Digital Markets Act, potentially weakening traffic or monetization, while rising Treasury yields and the recent sharp market decline remain headwinds. A Google employee said he quit because he’s worried about superintelligent AI

Analyst Ratings Changes

GOOGL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Truist Financial set a $420.00 price target on shares of Alphabet and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. DA Davidson set a $350.00 target price on shares of Alphabet and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets set a $465.00 price target on shares of Alphabet and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $485.00 price target (up from $415.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $425.50.

Alphabet Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $344.18 and its 200-day moving average is $346.45. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $4.21 trillion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $6.22. The business had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $117.07 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 27,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,125,015.20. The trade was a 1.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 82 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.71, for a total value of $27,692.22. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,995 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,414,801.45. This represents a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 450,426 shares of company stock valued at $11,831,050 over the last quarter. 11.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alphabet

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GOOGL. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 477 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Rockbridge Investment Management LCC lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 0.5% in the first quarter. Rockbridge Investment Management LCC now owns 5,460 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,570,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Ruggaard & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 0.9% in the first quarter. Ruggaard & Associates LLC now owns 2,921 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Cadia Private Client LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 1.1% in the first quarter. Cadia Private Client LLC now owns 2,589 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Evansbrook LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 0.3% in the first quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 9,522 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,738,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. 40.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Alphabet

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.