Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 818,348 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Janus Henderson Group PLC decreased its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 3.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 23,777,274 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 818,348 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for about 3.2% of Janus Henderson Group PLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $6,797,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GOOG shares. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price objective (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Alphabet from $375.00 to $350.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $475.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $410.09.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $387,061.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $545,941.03. This represents a 41.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total value of $3,142,911.42. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,298,044.10. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 600,465 shares of company stock worth $16,228,202. 12.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly fundamentals are supporting the rebound. Alphabet reported 24.2% year-over-year revenue growth to $119.8 billion, while Google Cloud revenue surged 82% and Search grew 17%. Analysts continue to see substantial long-term growth from AI adoption, cloud demand and advertising. Alphabet quarterly performance
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly bullish. Alphabet retains a “Buy” consensus, with reported price targets well above recent trading levels. Phillip Securities upgraded the stock to “strong buy,” while some analysts raised longer-term EPS estimates. Alphabet analyst ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional demand provides a counterweight to recent selling. Asset Management One added approximately 117,000 GOOGL shares, and Ethic Inc. disclosed a new position worth an estimated $227.5 million in Alphabet’s Class A shares. These moves reinforce the view that the pullback may offer a long-term entry point. Institutional Alphabet holdings
• Neutral Sentiment: AI investment remains the key investor debate. Alphabet’s $195 billion–$205 billion 2026 capital-expenditure outlook is intended to support rapidly expanding cloud and AI demand, but the spending has pressured free cash flow and increased expectations for future monetization.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory liabilities are growing. Following a $1 billion European Digital Markets Act fine, rivals may seek up to $10 billion in private damages, potentially adding financial and operational pressure to Google’s European businesses. European lawsuits against Google
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and fund selling remain caution signals. Alphabet’s chief accounting officer sold shares, while Provident Trust and Resona Asset Management reduced their GOOG positions. These transactions are relatively small or portfolio-related, but they may weigh on sentiment after the earnings-driven pullback.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $335.76 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 16.86, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $188.70 and a 12 month high of $404.47. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $357.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $337.75.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $116.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.15 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be issued 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 is Friday, September 4th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 4.42%.

About Alphabet

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.