Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Trading 1.6% Higher – Time to Buy?

Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) traded up 1.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $308.99 and last traded at $308.61. 44,796,294 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 87% from the average session volume of 23,906,172 shares. The stock had previously closed at $303.75.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud landed an expanded, multibillion‑dollar partnership with Palo Alto Networks—reported as “approaching $10 billion”—a major revenue and credibility win for Google Cloud that strengthens its enterprise sales narrative. Google Cloud lands deal with Palo Alto Networks
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are lifting targets—most recently a $350 target from Wedbush—adding upward price‑target momentum and reinforcing bullish investor expectations for GOOG. New Analyst Forecast: $GOOGL Given $350 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Market chatter highlights Alphabet’s AI leadership (Gemini updates) and potential value unlocking from Waymo funding talks; coupled with large institutional buys (UBS, Berkshire additions reported), this supports a bullish narrative around growth and latent asset value. Opinions on AI Innovations and Waymo Funding
• Positive Sentiment: Product quality controls for AI: Alphabet’s Gemini app added verification (watermarking) for AI‑generated content—a practical move to maintain trust and monetization pathways for AI features. Gemini App Adds Verification
• Neutral Sentiment: Talent dynamics: CNBC reports ~20% of AI software engineers hired in 2025 were “boomerang” ex‑employees—evidence Alphabet can re‑attract skilled talent, but also highlights intense competition for AI engineers. Google’s boomerang year
• Neutral Sentiment: Content moat: YouTube winning the Oscars streaming rights (announced for 2029) is a long‑horizon positive for ad inventory and engagement but is not an immediate earnings driver. Oscars move to YouTube
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: Mexico’s antitrust authority ordered Google to drop certain Android restrictions—this expands regulatory compliance risk and could pressure Android‑related businesses and OEM contracts outside core ad revenue. Mexico antitrust Android order
• Negative Sentiment: Privacy litigation: a Spanish consumer rights group has launched preliminary legal action alleging sensitive personal data collection and privacy violations—adds to legal/regulatory headline risk in Europe. Spanish consumer group seeks to sue Google
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and shareholder litigation signals: filings show heavy insider sales (including senior execs), and a shareholder‑rights firm is soliciting contacts—these can weigh on sentiment even if sales are for personal/tax reasons. Insider trading & institutional activity Halper Sadeh shareholder notice

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on GOOG shares. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday. BNP Paribas started coverage on Alphabet in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Mizuho set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $313.04.

Alphabet Trading Up 1.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a market cap of $3.72 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s fifty day moving average is $288.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.60.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.58. The business had revenue of $102.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.12 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.15, for a total transaction of $8,129,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,369,619 shares in the company, valued at approximately $592,760,192.85. This trade represents a 1.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.05, for a total value of $694,638.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 14,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,629,725.80. This represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 228,906 shares of company stock worth $63,984,117. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Robbins Farley increased its holdings in Alphabet by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 160 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

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.