Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by Clearstead Advisors LLC

Clearstead Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 10.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 184,544 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 21,087 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $44,946,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GOOG. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,901,000 after buying an additional 6,410 shares during the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% in the second quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,697,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 7.4% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 594,959 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $105,540,000 after acquiring an additional 41,132 shares in the last quarter. Joseph P. Lucia & Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 3.7% in the second quarter. Joseph P. Lucia & Associates LLC now owns 3,134 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $556,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 389.5% during the second quarter. Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $465,000 after purchasing an additional 2,084 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Price Performance

Alphabet stock opened at $313.03 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $321.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $281.87. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $142.66 and a 12-month high of $350.15. The stock has a market cap of $3.79 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.96, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.10.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.15 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is folding robotics‑software maker Intrinsic into Google, consolidating talent and tech from its “Other Bets” unit into the core business — a move that accelerates Google’s push into physical AI and could shorten commercialization timelines for robotics use cases. Former Alphabet ‘moonshot’ robotics company Intrinsic is folding into Google
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo is expanding on‑road testing to Chicago and Charlotte, signaling continued scaling of Waymo’s robotaxi commercialization efforts — potential long‑term revenue optionality and clearer path to monetization. Waymo to begin testing in Chicago and Charlotte
• Positive Sentiment: Gemini adoption is broadening: Samsung’s S26 demos show Gemini autonomously operating third‑party apps, underscoring device partnerships that expand distribution and revenue leverage for Google’s AI stack. Samsung’s S26 gives an advance look at what the Google-powered Apple Siri could do
• Positive Sentiment: Google announced a major clean‑power/data‑center push (1.9GW) including a 100‑hour iron‑battery, and related utility deals — improves energy resilience and long‑term margin/cost profile for hyperscale data centers. Google’s new 1.9GW clean energy deal includes massive 100-hour battery
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded Alphabet to a stronger rating, supporting bullish analyst sentiment that can attract flows and underwrite higher multiples. Wells Fargo upgrades Alphabet (GOOG)
• Positive Sentiment: Analysis highlighting Alphabet’s hidden assets (stakes in Anthropic and SpaceX) reinforces a view of embedded upside beyond core Search/Cloud performance. Alphabet’s Quiet Edge: The Hidden Assets Powering Its Run
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters reports Google will test showing rivals’ vertical search results more prominently across Europe to try to head off an EU antitrust fine — a pragmatic regulatory response but one that underscores ongoing legal risk in the region. Exclusive: Google to test changes to search results, source says as EU fine looms
• Neutral Sentiment: Google said it disrupted a China‑linked hacking group that targeted dozens of organizations — improves security posture and brand trust but has limited direct near‑term revenue impact. Google disrupts Chinese-linked hackers that attacked 53 groups globally
• Negative Sentiment: Russia fined Google ~22 million roubles for distributing VPN services on Google Play — a small hit financially but a reminder of geopolitical/regulatory costs in certain markets. Russia fines Google distributing VPN services, TASS reports
• Negative Sentiment: Headline noise: a report of insider selling and periodic short‑interest chatter has pressured sentiment in recent sessions; these items can weigh near‑term momentum even if fundamentals remain strong. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock Price Down 1% on Insider Selling

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. This trade represents a 78.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,112,482 shares of company stock valued at $119,145,289. 12.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $279.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Mizuho set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $365.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, January 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $343.90.

Alphabet Company 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.