Brokerages Set Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Target Price at $313.04

Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the forty-one research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation, twenty-nine have issued a buy recommendation and seven have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $313.0357.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $300.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Alphabet from $215.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Monday, December 1st. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Alphabet in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $299.80, for a total value of $9,743,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,239,619 shares in the company, valued at approximately $671,437,776.20. This trade represents a 1.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.45, for a total transaction of $31,971.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,205 shares in the company, valued at $5,706,357.25. The trade was a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 195,465 shares of company stock valued at $57,056,497. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after buying an additional 6,410 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 4.0% during the first quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 25,146 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $3,929,000 after acquiring an additional 976 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the first quarter valued at approximately $295,000. All Terrain Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 79.1% in the first quarter. All Terrain Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,855 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 3,468 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in Alphabet by 2.2% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 6,364,297 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $994,294,000 after purchasing an additional 134,358 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stores Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum & monetization — Coverage highlights faster Gemini adoption, stronger YouTube/search integration and improving ad + cloud monetization that underpin revenue upside and multiple expansion. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional backing — Several firms have raised targets and big holders (including UBS AM and Berkshire additions reported last quarter) continue to build positions, supporting sentiment and limiting downside. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity/earnings plays — Several retail/strategy pieces outline income and defined‑risk option trades (one‑month OTM puts, butterfly spreads) ahead of earnings; these signal increased short‑term options flow and hedging but not a directional fundamental change. Butterfly spread idea
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term tech positioning — Pieces comparing legacy tech vs. pure‑play quantum note Alphabet as a lower‑risk way to get quantum/AI exposure, which appeals to investors preferring large‑cap stability over speculative small caps. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling headlines — Recent director and executive stock sales have been reported (SEC filings / press coverage); while routine for executives, high‑profile sell activity can weigh on near‑term sentiment. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory / lobbying overhang — New lobbying disclosures and reports of DOJ interest in company practices are drawing attention; escalation of enforcement or broad probes would increase volatility and could pressure multiples. Article

Alphabet Stock Performance

NASDAQ GOOG opened at $315.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75. Alphabet has a 1-year low of $142.66 and a 1-year high of $328.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $302.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $244.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.80 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 8.28%.

Alphabet Company Profile

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.