Sentry LLC Cuts Stake in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Sentry LLC decreased its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 17.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,772 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 1,700 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 0.5% of Sentry LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Sentry LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $1,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOG. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,410 shares during the last quarter. TrueWealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter valued at about $229,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in Alphabet by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 6,741 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,196,000 after buying an additional 918 shares during the period. Nova Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Alphabet by 28.1% during the 2nd quarter. Nova Wealth Management Inc. now owns 510 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investors Research Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 2,938 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Alphabet from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Loop Capital raised Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $318.18.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple chooses Google’s Gemini to power the next generation of Siri and Apple Foundation Models — a multi‑year licensing/cloud deal that validates Gemini at scale and gives Alphabet a high‑margin, recurring revenue channel and access to Apple’s huge device base. Google and Apple enter into multi-year AI deal for Gemini models
• Positive Sentiment: AI optimism pushed Alphabet into the ~$4 trillion market‑cap club — headlines and analyst commentary frame Google as a potential long‑term AI winner (Gemini, Cloud, TPUs), which fuels momentum buying and multiple expansion. Alphabet hits $4 trillion valuation as AI refocus lifts sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and other sell‑side notes highlight Alphabet’s data moat and Cloud/AI growth as durable upside drivers — supportive research helps underpin longer‑term buy interest despite a rich near‑term multiple. Jefferies Sees Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Data Moat and Cloud Growth Driving Long-Term Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts are tempering enthusiasm by lowering conviction or trimming ratings (e.g., downgrades from “Strong Buy” to “Buy”) citing stretched forward multiples — this signals limited near‑term upside even as fundamentals stay strong. Alphabet: Reviewing My 2025 Top Pick, Downgrade To Buy On Less Attractive Setup
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional portfolio moves show some trimming of GOOGL positions in recent 13F updates (e.g., Davenport & Co and E. Ohman filings flagged reductions), which could modestly weigh supply/demand dynamics if continued. Fund Update: DAVENPORT & Co LLC Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling activity (including CEO sales disclosed in filings) is being tracked by markets and can add short‑term selling pressure or concern about timing of stock sales. Alphabet (GOOGL) Delivered Solid Performance in the Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: High‑profile criticism (Elon Musk calling the deal an “unreasonable concentration of power”) creates headline risk and could attract regulatory scrutiny or political attention over big‑tech partnerships — a reputational/regulatory risk to monitor. Elon Musk Slams Google, Apple Deal: ‘Unreasonable Concentration Of Power’

Alphabet Price Performance

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $332.73 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $307.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $251.71. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $142.66 and a 12 month high of $334.44. The firm has a market cap of $4.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.00% and a net margin of 32.23%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 8.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total value of $5,614,173.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 42,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,531,453.08. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.26, for a total transaction of $800,786.28. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 11,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,383,884.14. The trade was a 19.14% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 227,365 shares of company stock valued at $67,350,070. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Alphabet 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.