Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Upgraded at Freedom Capital

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) was upgraded by investment analysts at Freedom Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $420.00 price objective (down from $435.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 target price (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wedbush initiated coverage on Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $445.00 target price on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $410.09.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOG opened at $319.09 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 16.03, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.23. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $360.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $337.38. 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.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of Alphabet 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $387,061.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $545,941.03. This represents a 41.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 159,415 shares of company stock worth $7,672,279. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alphabet

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

More Alphabet News

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.