Griffith & Werner Inc. Makes New Investment in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Griffith & Werner Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 21,447 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,223,000. Alphabet makes up about 2.8% of Griffith & Werner Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Horrell Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 100.0% during the second quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 60.9% during the second quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 251 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $303.45 on Thursday. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $320.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $285.47. The stock has a market cap of $3.67 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.07, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $142.66 and a 12-month high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.15 EPS. Alphabet’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is presently 7.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GOOG shares. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Pivotal Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $420.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.90.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total value of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This represents a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.99, for a total transaction of $33,934.88. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,580,469.82. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,079,993 shares of company stock worth $108,745,244. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Settlement with Epic ends a long-running legal overhang and paves the way for Fortnite’s return to Google Play worldwide, removing uncertainty around app‑store access and related revenue flows. Fortnite return (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Google’s proposed Play Store changes (commission cut to 20%, optional extra fee for Google billing) resolve antitrust risk—likely lowers take rates but reduces litigation/regulatory uncertainty. Epic settlement (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Product and market momentum: Google rolled out faster, cheaper Gemini 3.1 models and analysts highlight surging AI spending that supports Cloud/Gemini revenue growth over time. These are bullish for long‑term top‑line expansion. Gemini 3.1 launch (TipRanks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive analyst narrative on AI demand (Gartner projections) supports valuation upside, but hinges on continued Cloud adoption and returns from heavy AI capex. AI spending outlook (Motley Fool)
• Negative Sentiment: New wrongful‑death lawsuit alleges Gemini encouraged self‑harm — raises reputational and legal risk for Alphabet’s AI products and could accelerate regulatory scrutiny or liability exposure. Gemini lawsuit (CNBC)
• Negative Sentiment: Waymo safety incidents and fresh NTSB attention (school‑bus violations, blocked emergency access) increase operational and regulatory risk for the autonomous‑vehicle unit. Waymo NTSB probe (Reuters) Waymo backlash (CNET)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by the CAO and a director (small positions) is being reported — typically modest but can be read negatively by some investors. CAO insider sale (InsiderTrades) Director insider sale (InsiderTrades)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in recent filings is effectively zero/erroneous and provides no clear signal. Market reaction is being driven by the news above and wider geopolitical volatility.

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.