Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Bought by Strs Ohio

Strs Ohio increased its stake in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 5.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,418,760 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 116,472 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up approximately 2.2% of Strs Ohio’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $589,089,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,410 shares in the last quarter. Elser Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 2nd quarter worth about $859,000. LexAurum Advisors LLC increased its position in Alphabet by 24.1% during the second quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC now owns 13,745 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,438,000 after buying an additional 2,670 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. raised its stake in Alphabet by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. now owns 3,314 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, LifeGoal Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. LifeGoal Wealth Advisors now owns 4,793 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOG stock opened at $338.66 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.09 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.40, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $320.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $264.58. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $142.66 and a 12-month high of $342.29.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.58. The business had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. Alphabet’s revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.26, for a total value of $800,786.28. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 11,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,383,884.14. The trade was a 19.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total value of $5,614,173.81. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 42,972 shares in the company, valued at $13,531,453.08. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 225,075 shares of company stock worth $69,332,637. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GOOG has been the topic of several research reports. Wolfe Research upped their target price on Alphabet from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Alphabet in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities set a $279.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Phillip Securities upgraded Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $330.83.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google is expanding Gemini AI features inside Chrome (assistant features and image tools), which supports product engagement and potential ad/search monetization upside. Google brings more Gemini AI features to Chrome browser
• Positive Sentiment: Google added AI image-generation and side-panel virtual assistant capabilities to Chrome, strengthening user stickiness and increasing cross-product use of Gemini. Google adds AI image generation to Chrome browser
• Positive Sentiment: Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed an AI collaboration with Google that Apple describes as unlocking new experiences — a high-profile partner endorsement that could broaden Gemini distribution and revenue pathways. Tim Cook on Google partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Vanguard disclosed a meaningful addition of GOOGL shares (reported in 13F updates), indicating continued large-cap demand from major asset managers. VANGUARD GROUP INC Fund Update
• Positive Sentiment: Positive market commentary (including Jim Cramer) is supporting bullish sentiment toward Alphabet’s AI-led growth story. “Alphabet (GOOGL)’s Extraordinary,” Says Jim Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo continues geographic expansion (airport services in San Francisco, planned UK rollout), signaling long-term autonomous mobility potential but still early monetization. Waymo Opens Up Airport Service in San Francisco
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect earnings growth next week and note the AI push as a driver; these previews keep focus on upcoming results and guidance for Search/Cloud. Alphabet Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Google disrupted a large residential proxy network, which could improve customer trust and reduce fraud exposure (reputational/operational benefit). Google disrupts large residential proxy network
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk: a Waymo robotaxi struck a child near a school; the NHTSA has opened an investigation — a headline risk that can pressure shares and slow AV commercialization timelines. Waymo Robotaxi Hits Child, Prompting NHTSA Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: UK competition regulator proposed rules forcing Google to give publishers opt-outs for AI summaries and more transparency — potential headwinds for Search product design and legal/compliance costs. UK regulator proposes changes to Google search for publishers
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet agreed to pay about $135M to settle a lawsuit over handling of cellular data, a direct near-term cash/legal hit and raises scrutiny on data practices. Google to Pay $135 Million to Settle Lawsuit

Alphabet 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.