Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 1.2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $335.00 and last traded at $334.47. Approximately 15,000,382 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 30% from the average daily volume of 21,454,279 shares. The stock had previously closed at $330.58.
More Alphabet News
Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings-beat track record increases odds of another upside surprise next quarter, supporting sentiment ahead of the April 29 Q1 print. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Cadence announced a strategic collaboration with Google to optimize the ChipStack AI Super Agent on Google Cloud — a meaningful endorsement of Google Cloud for AI chip design workloads and a potential revenue/capacity tailwind. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Wall Street price-target upgrades and buy calls (recent raises from Citi, Mizuho and others) are fueling bullish expectations for Cloud and AI monetization. Analyst optimism supports multiple near-term catalysts (Q1, Google I/O, Cloud Next). Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Product rollouts continue: Google launched a Gemini app for macOS and is adding AI “skills” to Chrome — incremental product engagement and distribution wins that help user stickiness and ad/search query growth. Read More. | Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Google’s enterprise AI push and partnerships aim to accelerate corporate AI adoption — positive for long-term Cloud revenue but timing/ROI for enterprise transformation remains gradual. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Deal with Thoma Bravo ties Google Cloud to a large private-software portfolio, extending Cloud distribution for AI — strategically constructive but execution-dependent. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal risks resurfaced: a rival app store (Aptoide) sued Google alleging anticompetitive app-store control, adding to antitrust scrutiny in mobile distribution. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Alphabet faces potential mass arbitration claims tied to ad tech and search rulings — headline risk with a cited $218 billion exposure that could pressure valuation if it advances. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Competition risk: OpenAI’s early moves into digital ads could create a new competitor over time, posing ad-revenue pressure if it scales. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Some large institutional holders trimmed GOOGL in recent 13F filings (notable decreases reported), which can add near-term selling pressure despite strong long-term positioning. Read More.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of research firms have recently commented on GOOG. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $395.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Alphabet from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $345.71.
Read Our Latest Report on GOOG
Alphabet Stock Up 1.2%
The firm has a market cap of $4.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.94, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.13. The business's 50 day moving average price is $305.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $300.37. 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 (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. Alphabet's quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.15 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.
Alphabet Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet's payout ratio is presently 7.77%.
Insider Activity
In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 955 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total transaction of $284,590.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,955,564. The trade was a 8.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 2,068,744 shares of company stock valued at $104,505,914 in the last ninety days. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alphabet
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 38,409.2% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 179,836,276 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $5,643,262,000 after buying an additional 179,369,280 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 28,482.8% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 112,091,870 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $35,174,429,000 after acquiring an additional 111,699,704 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $18,093,665,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its position in Alphabet by 850.3% in the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 15,830,754 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Alphabet by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 421,013,782 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $132,114,125,000 after acquiring an additional 8,128,234 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Alphabet
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Featured Articles
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider Alphabet, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Alphabet wasn't on the list.
While Alphabet currently has a Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
A forward-looking investment report spotlighting the seven space companies best positioned to benefit from accelerating commercialization in 2026. It explores key industry trends, major growth catalysts, and the stocks shaping the next phase of the space economy—from launch leaders and satellite networks to data, defense, and in-space infrastructure.
Get This Free Report
