Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc Decreases Stock Position in Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc cut its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 62,832 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 3,613 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for about 1.2% of Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $19,666,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter valued at about $416,217,000. Griffin Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 13.9% during the third quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. now owns 58,731 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $14,277,000 after acquiring an additional 7,180 shares during the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 23.6% during the third quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 22,219 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $5,401,000 after purchasing an additional 4,241 shares during the period. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 4.7% during the second quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 1,457,732 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $256,896,000 after purchasing an additional 65,439 shares during the period. Finally, Wright Investors Service Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 21.2% in the third quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 50,064 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $12,171,000 after purchasing an additional 8,746 shares during the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.3%

GOOGL opened at $302.00 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $140.53 and a 52 week high of $349.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.94, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average of $317.03 and a 200-day moving average of $294.07.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%. Equities research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOGL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $395.00 price target (up from $365.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. HSBC lifted their price objective on Alphabet from $335.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. New Street Research boosted their target price on Alphabet from $330.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Truist Financial set a $385.00 target price on Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-three have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $367.18.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Billionaire investor Seth Klarman surprised markets by taking a notable position in Alphabet, a development investors often view as a vote of confidence from an experienced value manager. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Billionaire Seth Klarman Springs Major Surprise
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet-owned Wing will begin drone package deliveries in the San Francisco Bay Area, marking a commercialization step for a long-term growth initiative that could expand service offerings and monetization opportunities. Alphabet’s Wing to start drone delivery in San Francisco Bay Area
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish research and feature pieces are reinforcing long-term investor interest—highlighting YouTube’s large ad/membership upside and positioning Alphabet as a top AI/cloud compounder—supporting demand for shares from long-term funds and retail. Alphabet Stock Analysis Why YouTube Is A $490 Billion Powerhouse Why Alphabet (GOOGL) is a Top Stock for the Long-Term The Best Stocks to Invest $1,000 in Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Google’s president Ruth Porat warned the U.S. may not be building electricity capacity fast enough to support AI scale, underscoring infrastructure needs and potential higher capex/energy costs as AI data center demand grows—a long-term growth sign but with cost implications. CERAWEEK US needs more energy development to power AI, Google president says
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting Berkshire’s new leadership holding large AI-related positions and bullish forecasts for AI leaders reiterates sector rotation into tech, which can support multiple expansion for market leaders like Alphabet. Warren Buffett’s Successor, Greg Abel, Has $64 Billion of Berkshire Hathaway’s Assets Invested in 3 Unstoppable AI Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data for March appears anomalous/unclear (reported as zero), so it provides no reliable signal on forced selling or short-covering dynamics today.
• Negative Sentiment: EU competition and international regulatory scrutiny remains active—EU officials are meeting with Google executives this week, a reminder that sustained regulatory risk could pressure valuation or lead to fines/behavioral remedies. EU Competition Chief Says Google Decision is Coming, Ahead of U.S. Tech Meetings
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage on how AI is changing search/SEO highlights execution risk for legacy search monetization models—publishers and advertisers adapting to new AI-driven discovery could alter ad dynamics over time. AI Is Rewriting the Old Rules of Google Search and SEO

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 955 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total value of $284,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,918 shares in the company, valued at $2,955,564. This trade represents a 8.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.41, for a total transaction of $318,580.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,405,091.71. This trade represents a 18.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,110,165 shares of company stock worth $118,134,117. 11.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google’s core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google’s consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.