NextFin News - In a strategic realignment of its technology portfolio, Close Asset Management Ltd reduced its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) during the third quarter of 2025. According to a Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, the firm sold 22,364 shares, representing an 8.0% decrease in its holdings. Following the transaction, Close Asset Management retained 256,752 shares of the information services giant, valued at approximately $62.52 million at the time of the filing. Despite the divestment, Alphabet remains a cornerstone of the firm’s strategy, accounting for 1.4% of its total portfolio and ranking as its 20th largest holding.
The move by Close Asset Management comes during a period of significant volatility and record-breaking performance for the Mountain View-based company. As of March 1, 2026, Alphabet’s market capitalization stands at a staggering $3.77 trillion, with shares opening at $311.43 on the most recent Friday of trading. This valuation follows a robust earnings report released on February 4, 2026, where Alphabet posted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.82, surpassing the consensus estimate of $2.59. Quarterly revenue reached $113.83 billion, an 18.0% increase year-over-year, driven largely by the expansion of Google Cloud and the integration of generative AI into its core search business.
The decision to trim holdings appears to be a calculated move to mitigate exposure to the intensifying "AI arms race" that has defined the early months of 2026. While institutional giants like DNB Asset Management AS and Choreo LLC increased their positions in the third quarter, the broader sentiment is increasingly bifurcated. The primary catalyst for caution among asset managers is the unprecedented level of capital expenditure required to maintain AI dominance. Critics, including prominent investors like Michael Burry, have recently flagged Alphabet’s aggressive spending on data centers and custom silicon as a potential drag on future margins. With a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 2.01, Alphabet’s balance sheet remains fortress-like, yet the market is beginning to demand more immediate monetization of these massive investments.
Alphabet has responded to these concerns by diversifying its AI revenue streams. A landmark multibillion-dollar deal to rent its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) to Meta Platforms Inc. has provided a clear proof of concept for Alphabet’s infrastructure-as-a-service model. Furthermore, the launch of "Nano Banana 2," an upgraded AI image generator, and the securing of high-precision map export rights in South Korea demonstrate the company’s ability to scale its software ecosystem globally. However, these successes are shadowed by regulatory friction. According to Reuters, Belgian competition authorities recently opened a probe into Google’s online ad pricing, adding to a growing list of antitrust challenges in the European Union that could pressure the company’s high-margin advertising business.
Insider activity has also signaled a period of transition. U.S. President Trump’s administration has maintained a complex relationship with Big Tech, focusing on domestic manufacturing and energy independence—factors that Alphabet has navigated by securing power supply agreements with AES and Xcel for its data centers. Amidst this backdrop, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares on February 18, 2026, at an average price of $303.92. While such sales are often part of pre-arranged trading plans, the timing coincides with a broader institutional re-evaluation of the sector’s price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratios, which for Alphabet currently sits at 1.82.
Looking forward, the trajectory for Alphabet remains tied to its ability to outpace a formidable coalition of competitors. The recent record-breaking funding round for OpenAI, backed by a consortium including Amazon, Nvidia, and Microsoft, represents a direct challenge to Google’s enterprise AI supremacy. Analysts at Pivotal Research remain bullish, recently raising their price target to $420.00, suggesting that the current dip in institutional ownership by firms like Close Asset Management may be a temporary rebalancing rather than a fundamental retreat. As the 2026 fiscal year progresses, the market will closely watch whether Alphabet’s 35.01% return on equity can be sustained as the costs of AI innovation continue to escalate.
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