Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Short Interest Down 29.2% in February
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyAlphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 31,878,342 shares, a drop of 29.2% from the February 12th total of 45,049,261 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 19,953,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 19,953,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short.
Alphabet Stock Up 0.5%
Shares of GOOG stock traded up $1.50 on Monday, hitting $302.96. The stock had a trading volume of 6,584,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,926,250. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $319.36 and its 200-day moving average is $290.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.66 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.10. Alphabet has a 52-week low of $142.66 and a 52-week high of $350.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a current ratio of 2.01.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.15 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Alphabet will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.
Alphabet Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 7.77%.
Alphabet News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Alphabet closed its acquisition of Wiz, a $32 billion cybersecurity deal — the company’s largest-ever acquisition — which bolsters Google Cloud’s security offerings and positions Alphabet to capture more enterprise AI and cloud spend. Wiz deal analysis
- Positive Sentiment: Asset managers and analysts are highlighting Alphabet’s stronger footing in the AI race (“from hunted to hunter”), signaling renewed investor confidence in revenue and margin upside from AI products and ads. This narrative supports multiple expansion if execution continues. Artisan/AI commentary
- Positive Sentiment: Alphabet joined other tech firms in a White House pledge to power next‑generation data centers — a sign of long‑term investment in AI compute infrastructure that should underpin Google Cloud and AI service growth. Data center pledge
- Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet is a trending search topic on investor sites and screening services this morning — elevated attention can amplify moves but is not itself directional for fundamentals. Zacks trending note
- Neutral Sentiment: Technical traders are discussing setups for GOOGL within broader tape and mega‑cap rotation — useful for short‑term flows but less relevant to medium‑term fundamentals. Benzinga technical analysis
- Negative Sentiment: European publishers and tech firms urged EU regulators to expedite a near two‑year antitrust probe into Google Search for alleged self‑preferencing; enforcement under the Digital Markets Act and a potential large fine pose material regulatory and revenue risk in the region. Investors should watch EU developments closely as outcomes could affect search monetization and remediation costs. Reuters EU probe report
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts recently commented on GOOG shares. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 target price (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 price objective on Alphabet and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $345.71.
Insider Activity
In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.99, for a total transaction of $33,934.88. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,580,469.82. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.73, for a total transaction of $184,038.00. Following the sale, the director owned 20,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,325,999.52. This trade represents a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 2,076,615 shares of company stock worth $107,809,111 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GOOG. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,410 shares during the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet by 1.0% in the second quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,697,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 7.4% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 594,959 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $105,540,000 after buying an additional 41,132 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its stake in Alphabet by 239.7% during the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 63,128 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $11,198,000 after buying an additional 44,546 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 25.1% during the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 41,637 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $7,386,000 after buying an additional 8,346 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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.