JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock Price

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) had its price objective reduced by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $460.00 to $420.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the information services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 31.62% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $455.00 to $465.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. KeyCorp set a $445.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price target (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday. Wedbush started coverage on Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $445.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $379.00 price objective (down from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $410.09.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of GOOG opened at $319.09 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 16.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet has a 12-month low of $188.70 and a 12-month high of $404.47. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $360.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $337.38.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.31 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Alphabet will post 14.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $387,061.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,481 shares in the company, valued at $545,941.03. The trade was a 41.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total value of $153,432.28. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 27,348 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,345,358.56. This trade represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 159,415 shares of company stock valued at $7,672,279. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth $31,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet posted a strong Q2 beat, with revenue and EPS coming in ahead of expectations, while Google Cloud revenue surged 82% and cloud margins improved sharply.
• Positive Sentiment: AI and product demand remain strong, with management saying AI usage is rising across Search, Cloud, and Gemini, supporting the long-term growth story.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts reiterated bullish views or raised targets, and multiple commentary pieces argued the stock looks attractive after the pullback.
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon signed a deal worth more than $1 billion with Google for dark fiber connectivity, adding another sign of infrastructure demand tied to Alphabet’s data-center buildout. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo is reportedly considering ending its Uber partnership, which could affect how quickly Alphabet’s robotaxi business scales, but the direct financial impact is still unclear. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet also disclosed a large SpaceX stake and saw some institutional holders trim positions, but these items are secondary to the main debate over AI spending and cash flow.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were unnerved by Alphabet’s higher CapEx guidance and negative free cash flow, which raised concerns that AI spending may be outpacing near-term returns.
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet was also hit by an EU antitrust fine of about $1 billion, adding another regulatory overhang. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Moody’s warned that the industry-wide AI buildout could threaten credit quality at Alphabet and other hyperscalers, reinforcing concerns about balance-sheet strain from heavy infrastructure investment. 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.