Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock Rating Upgraded by Phillip Securities

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Phillip Securities from a "moderate buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on GOOG. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $375.00 to $350.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $379.00 target price (down from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $420.00 target price (down from $435.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. Pivotal Research increased their price target on shares of Alphabet from $470.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Wedbush started coverage on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $445.00 price target for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $410.09.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG opened at $326.57 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.40, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business's 50 day moving average is $359.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $337.61. Alphabet has a 52-week low of $188.70 and a 52-week high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. The business had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.31 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Alphabet will post 17.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its stake in Alphabet by 38,409.2% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 179,836,276 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,643,262,000 after acquiring an additional 179,369,280 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 28,482.8% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 112,091,870 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $35,174,429,000 after purchasing an additional 111,699,704 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,093,665,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 850.3% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 17,692,600 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $5,551,938,000 after purchasing an additional 15,830,754 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $132,114,125,000 after purchasing an additional 8,128,234 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet reported a strong second quarter, with revenue up 24% year over year to $119.8 billion and earnings of $9.11 per share, well above estimates. Google Cloud growth, reported at approximately 82%, and continued strength in Search and YouTube reinforced the company’s AI monetization story. Alphabet Stock Is Gaining Monday: What's Going On?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and portfolio managers largely continue to support Alphabet’s long-term outlook. Bullish arguments point to enterprise AI adoption, a roughly $514 billion Cloud backlog, improving Cloud margins and early evidence that AI features can strengthen Search and other services. Berkshire Hathaway’s substantial Alphabet position also provides a notable vote of confidence. Alphabet Q2 Strength Reinforces the Bullish Case
• Positive Sentiment: YouTube reached a multiyear agreement with NBCUniversal to include Peacock content for U.S. YouTube Premium subscribers beginning in 2027. The deal could improve subscription value, engagement and YouTube’s competitive position in streaming. NBCUniversal and YouTube Ink Peacock Deal

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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