Alphabet Inc. $GOOG is Provident Investment Management Inc.’s 6th Largest Position

Provident Investment Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 4.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 237,356 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 10,463 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 5.1% of Provident Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Provident Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $57,808,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 145.0% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 196 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.99, for a total value of $33,934.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,580,469.82. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total value of $14,341,182.30. Following the sale, the insider owned 13,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This trade represents a 78.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,076,615 shares of company stock valued at $107,809,111. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $309.41 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $319.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $292.22. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $142.66 and a 12-month high of $350.15. The company has a market cap of $3.74 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The company had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.15 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on GOOG shares. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Alphabet from $330.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Alphabet in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $345.71.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MoffettNathanson reiterated a Buy rating and kept a $350 price target, citing robust YouTube monetization and positioning Alphabet as a top media/ad franchise—this typically supports investor confidence in revenue upside. MoffettNathanson Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet paid a cash dividend ($0.21/share on March 16), signaling shareholder-friendly capital allocation and returning cash to investors—a direct positive for yield-seeking holders. Dividend Payout
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Alphabet’s massive multi‑year investments (reported at ~$346B) is being framed as driving durable growth and scale benefits to the bottom line—supportive for long-term earnings expectations. $346B Investment Boost
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters reports Google procurement teams in China are in talks to buy liquid cooling systems from Envicool and others—operational detail that may lower data‑center costs or raise supply/geopolitical considerations depending on outcomes. China Cooling Systems Talks
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in the aggregated feed shows anomalous zeroes for March (likely a reporting/data issue); no clear signal for increased bearish bets from that metric today.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of quantum computing competition (IBM vs. other players) notes Alphabet’s activity in the space but does not yet alter near‑term revenue—relevant for long‑range R&D narrative but not immediate earnings. Quantum Computing Landscape
• Negative Sentiment: European publishers and tech firms are pressing the EU to speed a probe and potential fine over Google Search self‑preferencing—an escalated regulatory risk that could hit search economics or lead to enforcement costs. EU Antitrust Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary flags valuation concerns (mid‑20s P/E) and rising capex/margin pressure despite AI-driven growth—this frames upside as dependent on sustained margin recovery and execution. Valuation Concerns

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.