Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Pivotal Research Analyst Says

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) had its target price boosted by stock analysts at Pivotal Research from $470.00 to $475.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the information services provider’s stock. Pivotal Research’s price objective points to a potential upside of 48.86% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also commented on GOOG. Wedbush started coverage on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $445.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, July 17th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $425.00 price objective (up from $405.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $395.00 price objective (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $410.09.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.2%

GOOG opened at $319.09 on Thursday. Alphabet has a 12 month low of $188.70 and a 12 month high of $404.47. The business has a 50-day moving average of $360.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $337.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 1.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.87 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the 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 owned 75,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,298,044.10. This represents a 10.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 159,415 shares of company stock valued at $7,672,279 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Alphabet

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 29,896 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $9,381,000 after acquiring an additional 2,341 shares in the last quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management grew 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 worth $86,596,000 after acquiring an additional 2,850 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew 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 worth $19,060,000 after acquiring an additional 4,239 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 190,654 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $59,827,000 after purchasing an additional 15,280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Violich Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 3,378 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alphabet News Summary

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.