Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Coverage Initiated at Wedbush

Key Points

• Wedbush initiated coverage on Alphabet with an outperform rating and a $445 price target, implying about 20% upside from the current share price.
• Alphabet continues to draw broadly bullish analyst sentiment, with the stock holding a consensus Buy rating and a consensus price target of $383.44 despite a few mixed rating changes from other firms.
• The company recently posted strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, while investors are also watching AI spending and ongoing regulatory pressure in Europe as key issues for the stock.

Equities research analysts at Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm set an "outperform" rating and a $445.00 price target on the information services provider's stock. Wedbush's price target suggests a potential upside of 20.20% from the company's current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on GOOG. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Freedom Capital cut shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $383.44.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $370.22. The company had a trading volume of 1,851,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,324,504. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $368.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $336.31. The stock has a market cap of $4.49 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Alphabet has a 1-year low of $181.50 and a 1-year high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $2.43. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.Alphabet's revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.81 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Alphabet will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total value of $3,142,911.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,298,044.10. This represents a 10.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.28, for a total value of $39,343.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,833 shares in the company, valued at $6,615,656.24. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 159,415 shares of company stock worth $7,672,279. Insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 29,896 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $9,381,000 after purchasing an additional 2,341 shares during the last quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management raised its holdings in Alphabet by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 275,943 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $86,596,000 after buying an additional 2,850 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Alphabet by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 60,739 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $19,060,000 after buying an additional 4,239 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Alphabet by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 190,654 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $59,827,000 after buying an additional 15,280 shares during the period. Finally, Violich Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Alphabet by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc. now owns 340,776 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $106,936,000 after acquiring an additional 3,378 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett said he personally initiated Berkshire Hathaway’s Alphabet stake and called the stock “more likely to be a winner,” giving investors a high-profile vote of confidence ahead of earnings. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple previews highlight Alphabet’s improving earnings outlook, strong Google Cloud momentum, and AI-driven advertising growth as reasons the company may beat expectations again. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s push to monetize AI and expand its hardware/silicon strategy is being viewed as a long-term competitive advantage that could support growth beyond search. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet remains in the spotlight technically as traders position around its upcoming earnings report, but the article is more about setup than a fresh fundamental catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: EU regulators ordered Google to open Android and search data more broadly to AI and search rivals, adding another antitrust overhang and potentially weakening some competitive advantages. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The European Court also upheld a small but symbolic Italian fine tied to gambling advertising on YouTube, while separate reports said the EU is preparing additional fines against Google, reinforcing regulatory pressure. Article Title

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.

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