Alphabet Inc. $GOOG is Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s 4th Largest Position

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 198,282 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 9,573 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 5.2% of Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $70,059,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $328.38 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $345.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $341.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.21. 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 Inc. has a 12 month low of $236.58 and a 12 month high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.Alphabet’s quarterly revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.31 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 4.42%.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. This trade represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total transaction of $3,142,911.42. Following the transaction, the insider owned 75,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,298,044.10. The trade was a 10.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 451,925 shares of company stock worth $12,371,544. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GOOG shares. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Alphabet from $460.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Alphabet from $415.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on Alphabet from $430.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Six 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $415.55.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet announced at least €13 billion (about $15.1 billion) for AI data centers and digital infrastructure in Finland during 2027–2028. The investment will support Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube, while a 22-year agreement with Fortum for nuclear power could provide reliable, lower-carbon electricity for energy-intensive AI operations. Google to invest $15 billion AI infrastructure in Finland
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud and Accenture are creating a group of 1,000 engineers to help customers deploy AI agents. The initiative may accelerate enterprise adoption of Google’s cloud, AI software and custom chips, strengthening the growth outlook for the Cloud segment. Accenture and Google are teaming up to send 1,000 engineers into the field
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America and other commentary pointed to resilient web traffic despite rising AI competition, offering reassurance that Google’s core search business has not yet been materially displaced. Bank of America Spots Reassuring Signal for Google Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Anthropic joined a Canadian data-center development pledge. The agreement supports broader AI infrastructure expansion, although it does not immediately change Alphabet’s earnings outlook. HIVE joins Google, Microsoft and Amazon in new Canada data center pledge
• Negative Sentiment: The Finland commitment reinforces concerns that surging AI capital expenditures could pressure free cash flow before revenue and profits fully scale. Investors are increasingly focused on whether Alphabet can earn attractive returns on its massive infrastructure buildout. Alphabet’s ROIC Is Strong, but Is GOOGL Stock a Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet warned that changes to European search results required by the Digital Markets Act could reduce search quality and increase costs for businesses, creating potential pressure on user engagement, monetization and regulatory expenses. Google warns of lower quality as it revamps Europe search results
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s launch of its paid Muse AI agent heightened fears that autonomous assistants could bypass traditional search pages and weaken Alphabet’s search advertising model. Separately, delays affecting Alphabet and Blackstone’s Project Braid data-center venture underscore execution risks in the AI expansion. Meta rises as Muse AI agent arrives

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent company of Google. It was established in 2015 as part of a corporate restructuring intended to separate Google’s core internet businesses from a collection of other ventures. Google remains Alphabet’s largest business and serves users, advertisers, businesses and developers worldwide.

Google’s principal products and services include its internet search engine, online advertising platforms, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and Google Photos.