CSM Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

CSM Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 66.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 264,334 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 105,434 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up approximately 1.8% of CSM Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. CSM Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $64,387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Alphabet during the second quarter worth about $4,298,572,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 8.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,529,742 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $24,240,469,000 after acquiring an additional 7,904,434 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 416,753,033 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $73,927,821,000 after acquiring an additional 5,182,111 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 73.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 9,808,152 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,388,775,000 after acquiring an additional 4,154,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 17,547.9% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,122,727 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $731,331,000 after acquiring an additional 4,099,366 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.99, for a total value of $33,934.88. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,580,469.82. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.38, for a total transaction of $9,859,850.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,674,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $508,028,012.80. This represents a 1.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 2,076,615 shares of company stock worth $107,809,111 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of GOOG opened at $301.46 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $142.66 and a 12-month high of $350.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $319.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $290.90.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion during 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.15 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict 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 given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 7.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GOOG. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, January 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Alphabet from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $345.71.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: GFiber is combining with Astound Broadband with Stonepeak as majority owner while Alphabet keeps a minority stake — this monetizes Google’s fiber asset, reduces future capex burden and leaves Alphabet with upside exposure to a larger independent broadband operator. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)’s Expanding Horizons: AI, Cloud, and Broadband Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Gemini AI is being added to Google Maps via “Ask Maps,” increasing product differentiation and engagement across a high-traffic app — a direct example of AI driving user value and monetization opportunities. Google (GOOGL) Adds Its Gemini AI Model to Google Maps to Allow More Detailed Questions
• Positive Sentiment: Google completed the acquisition of Wiz (~$32B), strengthening cloud security offerings — a strategic tuck-in that can help win larger enterprise cloud deals and justify higher cloud multiple over time. Google Just Closed Its $32 Billion Wiz Deal. How Should You Play GOOGL Stock Here?
• Positive Sentiment: Google changed Android billing rules, cut developer fees and resolved the Epic/Fortnite dispute — removing a legal overhang and improving developer economics for Play Store, which supports long-term app revenue resilience. Google (GOOGL) App Store Brings Back Fortnite, Changes Fee Structure
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals and analyst sentiment remain supportive — recent coverage highlights strong Q4 results, cash-rich balance sheet and a consensus “Buy” tilt with several elevated price targets. This underpins medium-term investor confidence. Alphabet Q4: A Fairly Valued Tech Titan To Buy Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Social and options flow show heightened bullish conviction around Gemini and cloud, but this is sentiment-driven and can amplify short-term volatility rather than change fundamentals. Alphabet Stock (GOOG) Opinions on Gemini AI Advancements
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short-interest data in feeds appears noisy/invalid and does not signal a meaningful squeeze or covering dynamic at present.
• Negative Sentiment: U.K. regulator warnings on protecting children online increase the risk of tighter rules and compliance costs for big tech — a regulatory backdrop that could pressure valuations if enforcement or new rules accelerate. Big tech given warning – and deadline – by UK regulator

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.