NS Partners Ltd Sells 30,911 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

NS Partners Ltd decreased its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 5.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 498,529 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 30,911 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for about 7.6% of NS Partners Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. NS Partners Ltd’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $176,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of GOOG. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on GOOG shares. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price target (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Phillip Securities raised shares of Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $445.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Alphabet from $375.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $415.55.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s AI expansion remains the main bullish catalyst. WeatherNext 3 is being integrated into Search, Maps and Gemini, while new voice-driven Gemini features are rolling out in Gmail, Docs and Keep, creating potential for broader user engagement and monetization. Alphabet Just Gave Search, Maps and Gemini a New AI Advantage
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism is building around Google Cloud, AI services, hardware and long-term earnings growth. Wolfe Research named Alphabet a top pick for 2027, while other coverage highlights strong recent Cloud growth and a median price target well above current trading levels. Alphabet Stock Opinions on Strong Cloud Growth Prospects
• Positive Sentiment: A federal judge declined to force a breakup of Google’s ad-technology business, reducing the most severe regulatory risk, although operational restrictions remain. The decision also supports Alphabet’s ability to retain its existing ad-tech infrastructure. Google Spared From Ad-Business Breakup
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s clean-energy partnerships, including Google-backed battery storage and geothermal projects, strengthen power availability for data centers but are unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Google’s New Energy Project Gives Eos Energy a Key Technology Validation
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Alphabet’s roughly $44.9 billion quarterly capital expenditure pushed free cash flow negative for the first time since its IPO. The spending may support future AI and Cloud returns, but it increases execution risk and weighs on near-term valuation. 3 Stocks Built for Higher Rates
• Negative Sentiment: Stronger-than-expected employment data lifted Treasury yields and reduced expectations for near-term rate cuts, pressuring large technology stocks. Alphabet also faces investor concern over delayed Gemini releases, ongoing ad-tech remedies, and shareholder securities-fraud investigations. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Alphabet

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of GOOG opened at $335.31 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $232.38 and a 1-year high of $404.47. The stock has a market cap of $4.10 trillion, a PE ratio of 16.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $346.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $340.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.64.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The company had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.5 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total transaction of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. The trade was a 1.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $387,061.50. Following the sale, the director owned 1,481 shares in the company, valued at $545,941.03. The trade was a 41.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 451,925 shares of company stock worth $12,371,544. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.