Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Trading Down 1% on Insider Selling
by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets DailyAlphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report) shares traded down 1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $305.55 and last traded at $306.30. 13,768,876 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 21,716,037 shares. The stock had previously closed at $309.41.
Specifically, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total transaction of $10,006,425.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,642,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $505,573,853.40. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
GOOG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. KeyCorp set a $370.00 price objective on Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Truist Financial set a $350.00 price target on Alphabet in a report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $348.00 price objective (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $345.71.
Read Our Latest Report on GOOG
More Alphabet News
Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:
- Positive Sentiment: DeepMind hires Bridgewater’s chief scientist Jasjeet Sekhon — a high‑profile talent win that strengthens Alphabet’s AI research and commercial credentials versus rivals. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud + CVS launch “Health100” using Gemini models — expands Gemini into consumer healthcare (pharmacy, insurance, wearables) and creates a potential recurring revenue stream for cloud/AI services. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Product momentum: Stitch “vibe design” update is drawing real competition away from incumbents (Figma/Adobe) — suggests faster AI‑driven product monetization and market expansion for developer/designer tools. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Google struck agreements with five U.S. utilities to curb data‑center power use at peak demand — reduces brownout/cost risk for data‑center expansion and supports more predictable AI operations. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet is pursuing Pentagon contracts (coverage and video reports) — potential contract upside but comes with employee/PR controversy given industry disputes; outcome is uncertain for near‑term revenue. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Supply‑chain/geopolitical risk: reports that Alphabet is increasing use of Chinese suppliers for advanced liquid cooling raise export‑control and political risks for global AI builds. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO Sundar Pichai and several directors have disclosed recent SEC‑filed share sales — repeated large insider sales can spook short‑term sentiment even if they are scheduled or for diversification. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Broader valuation/capex concern: commentary on massive hyperscaler AI capex and uncertain timing of returns is pressuring multiples across cloud/AI names, including Alphabet. Read More.
Alphabet Stock Performance
The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $318.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $292.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.61 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.64, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.10.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.Alphabet’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.15 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.
Alphabet Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.77%.
Institutional Trading of Alphabet
A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.
Alphabet Company 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.