Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Earns Buy Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group reiterated its buy rating on Alphabet, while the broader analyst community remains constructive with a consensus Moderate Buy and an average price target of $413.13.
• Alphabet’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, posting $5.11 EPS versus the $2.64 estimate and revenue of $109.90 billion versus $106.98 billion expected.
• The stock traded lower on Monday at $346.69 as investors weighed recent concerns around AI talent losses, competition in search, and broader tech-sector weakness.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reiterated by Jefferies Financial Group in a report released on Monday,MarketScreener reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $390.00 price target (up from $345.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "positive" rating and issued a $460.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $435.00 target price (up from $427.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Phillip Securities raised their price target on shares of Alphabet from $340.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alphabet presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $413.13.

Alphabet Price Performance

NASDAQ:GOOGL traded down $2.99 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $346.69. 10,864,845 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 31,892,805. The company has a market capitalization of $4.20 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92. The business has a 50 day moving average of $367.66 and a 200 day moving average of $332.31. Alphabet has a 1-year low of $166.13 and a 1-year high of $408.61.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $2.47. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.98 billion. Research analysts forecast that Alphabet will post 14.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total transaction of $2,481,078.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,293,309.12. This trade represents a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.63, for a total transaction of $178,701.71. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 10,093 shares in the company, valued at $2,923,235.59. This trade represents a 5.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 160,516 shares of company stock valued at $7,344,604. Corporate insiders own 11.61% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOGL. EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet is losing key AI researchers and executives to competitors, including senior DeepMind and Gemini talent, which is fueling concerns that the company may be falling behind in the AI talent war. Alphabet paces for worst day in a year on AI concerns after high-profile exits
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage from several outlets said Google’s online dominance is showing signs of cracking as AI models and AI-first search alternatives gain traction, adding to concerns about long-term search revenue growth. Google's online dominance Is showing signs of cracking in AI era
• Negative Sentiment: Broader tech-sector weakness and worries about aggressive AI spending by hyperscalers are weighing on Alphabet along with other mega-cap names. Alphabet, SpaceX, Intel, and More Stocks That Explain Today's Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet also announced a $75 million AI research partnership with A24, which shows continued investment in AI applications but does not appear to have offset concerns about talent losses and competitive pressure. Google DeepMind signs AI research deal with film studio A24

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google's core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google's consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.

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.