Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in 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. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 19,953,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.6 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 19,953,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.6 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at $3,987,279.15. This trade represents a 78.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,112,493 shares of company stock worth $118,605,094. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lane Brothers & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth $262,000. Fund Advisors of America Inc FL purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at $920,000. World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 190,654 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $59,827,000 after acquiring an additional 15,280 shares during the period. Farmers National Bank increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Farmers National Bank now owns 50,180 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $15,746,000 after acquiring an additional 5,151 shares during the period. Finally, Winthrop Partners WNY LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth $5,344,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ:GOOG traded down $1.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $301.46. 16,821,027 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 19,054,266. The company has a fifty day moving average of $319.36 and a 200 day moving average of $290.32. 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 has a twelve month low of $142.66 and a twelve month high of $350.15. The company has a market capitalization of $3.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.10.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.15 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Alphabet will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.77%.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: GFiber is combining with Astound Broadband with Stonepeak as majority owner while Alphabet keeps a minority stake — this monetizes Google’s fiber asset, reduces future capex burden and leaves Alphabet with upside exposure to a larger independent broadband operator. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)’s Expanding Horizons: AI, Cloud, and Broadband Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Gemini AI is being added to Google Maps via “Ask Maps,” increasing product differentiation and engagement across a high-traffic app — a direct example of AI driving user value and monetization opportunities. Google (GOOGL) Adds Its Gemini AI Model to Google Maps to Allow More Detailed Questions
• Positive Sentiment: Google completed the acquisition of Wiz (~$32B), strengthening cloud security offerings — a strategic tuck-in that can help win larger enterprise cloud deals and justify higher cloud multiple over time. Google Just Closed Its $32 Billion Wiz Deal. How Should You Play GOOGL Stock Here?
• Positive Sentiment: Google changed Android billing rules, cut developer fees and resolved the Epic/Fortnite dispute — removing a legal overhang and improving developer economics for Play Store, which supports long-term app revenue resilience. Google (GOOGL) App Store Brings Back Fortnite, Changes Fee Structure
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals and analyst sentiment remain supportive — recent coverage highlights strong Q4 results, cash-rich balance sheet and a consensus “Buy” tilt with several elevated price targets. This underpins medium-term investor confidence. Alphabet Q4: A Fairly Valued Tech Titan To Buy Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Social and options flow show heightened bullish conviction around Gemini and cloud, but this is sentiment-driven and can amplify short-term volatility rather than change fundamentals. Alphabet Stock (GOOG) Opinions on Gemini AI Advancements
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short-interest data in feeds appears noisy/invalid and does not signal a meaningful squeeze or covering dynamic at present.
• Negative Sentiment: U.K. regulator warnings on protecting children online increase the risk of tighter rules and compliance costs for big tech — a regulatory backdrop that could pressure valuations if enforcement or new rules accelerate. Big tech given warning – and deadline – by UK regulator

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Pivotal Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 target price (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $348.00 price target (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $345.71.

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.