Clearstead Trust LLC Purchases 4,038 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 20.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,371 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,038 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up about 1.0% of Clearstead Trust LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Clearstead Trust LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $5,692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GOOG. Tradewinds LLC. increased its holdings in Alphabet by 2,134.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 45,098 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $10,984,000 after purchasing an additional 43,080 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 31.3% in the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 354,529 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $86,345,000 after buying an additional 84,553 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 157,143 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $38,272,000 after buying an additional 3,444 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank of Texas acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $900,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Alphabet by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,164,341 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $206,542,000 after acquiring an additional 42,028 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ GOOG opened at $313.03 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.79 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $321.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $281.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $142.66 and a one year high of $350.15.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The company’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.15 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.77%.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.92, for a total transaction of $9,877,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,818,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $856,605,814.08. This represents a 1.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at $3,987,279.15. This trade represents a 78.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,112,482 shares of company stock valued at $119,145,289. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

GOOG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Barclays upped their price target on Alphabet from $250.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price objective (up from $355.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Alphabet in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital raised shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Nine 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $343.90.

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.