Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock Price Up 1.1% Following Analyst Upgrade

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s share price was up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after TD Cowen raised their price target on the stock from $350.00 to $355.00. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the stock. Alphabet traded as high as $341.20 and last traded at $336.43. Approximately 24,472,342 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 13% from the average daily volume of 21,708,773 shares. The stock had previously closed at $332.73.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on GOOG. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Alphabet from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.36.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.48, for a total value of $9,213,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,337,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $662,526,494.12. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total value of $5,614,173.81. Following the sale, the insider owned 42,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,531,453.08. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 227,365 shares of company stock worth $67,350,070 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple confirmed a multi‑year deal to use Google’s Gemini models to power next‑gen Siri — validates Gemini at scale, creates a recurring licensing revenue stream for Google Cloud and gives Alphabet direct exposure to billions of iPhone users. Google and Apple enter into multi-year AI deal for Gemini models
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet crossed the $4 trillion market‑cap milestone on renewed AI optimism — a signal of strong investor confidence that AI (Gemini, TPUs, Cloud) can drive sustained revenue growth beyond ads. Alphabet hits $4 trillion valuation as AI refocus lifts sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are lifting targets — TD Cowen bumped its price target to $355 with a Buy rating, reinforcing the case that near‑term AI progress and cloud momentum leave room for further upside. TD Cowen raises GOOG price target to $355 – Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Options/valuation notes: several market pieces argue Alphabet remains undervalued versus analyst targets and point to high OTM‑put premiums (1‑month 5% OTM put yielding ~2.5%) — a sign some investors are comfortable selling puts to finance long exposure. Alphabet Stock Is Still Undervalued According to Analysts – 1 Month GOOGL Puts Yield 2.50%
• Neutral Sentiment: Google reportedly will develop and manufacture high‑end phones in Vietnam this year — could diversify hardware supply chains and margins but impact to profits and timing is uncertain. Google to develop, manufacture smartphones in Vietnam, Nikkei Asia says
• Neutral Sentiment: Some funds trimmed Alphabet positions in recent 13F updates — normal portfolio rebalancing that slightly tempers demand but doesn’t signal a broad sell‑off. Fund Update: DAVENPORT & Co LLC Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and analyst caution: a few note that much of Alphabet’s near‑term upside is already priced in after last year’s big rally and have trimmed ratings (downgrades from “strong buy” to “buy”), which could cap short‑term gains if sentiment cools. Alphabet: Reviewing My 2025 Top Pick, Downgrade To Buy On Less Attractive Setup
• Negative Sentiment: Public criticism (e.g., from Elon Musk) of the Apple‑Google tie-up may fuel regulatory or reputation talk — mostly noise short‑term but a potential risk if it sparks political/regulatory scrutiny. Elon Musk Slams Google, Apple Deal: ‘Unreasonable Concentration Of Power’

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in Alphabet by 400.0% in the second quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Robbins Farley raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 60.0% in the second quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 160 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Tripletail Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $40,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Trading Up 1.1%

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $307.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $251.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.06 trillion, a PE ratio of 33.18, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.58. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. The company had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.28%.

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.