Raymond James Financial Has Lowered Expectations for Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock Price

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) had its price target dropped by stock analysts at Raymond James Financial from $425.00 to $400.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage presently has a “strong-buy” rating on the information services provider’s stock. Raymond James Financial’s price target suggests a potential upside of 26.46% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on GOOG. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $425.00 price target (up from $405.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price objective on Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $379.00 target price (down from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $408.27.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG stock traded down $25.60 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $316.31. 18,257,247 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,381,564. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $363.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $337.49. Alphabet has a 12-month low of $188.70 and a 12-month high of $404.47. The company has a market cap of $3.83 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $6.23. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The business had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $117.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet will post 14.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was 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 directly owned 75,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,298,044.10. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.28, for a total transaction of $39,343.36. Following the sale, the director owned 18,833 shares in the company, valued at $6,615,656.24. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 159,415 shares of company stock worth $7,672,279 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.3% during the first quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,508 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $3,094,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 4,844 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Wisconsin Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wisconsin Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,223 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $785,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. grew its position in Alphabet by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet delivered a strong Q2 beat, with revenue, EPS, and cloud growth all topping expectations, reinforcing the strength of Search, YouTube, and Google Cloud. Google quarterly cloud revenue growth beats expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud momentum and rising Gemini usage suggest Alphabet’s AI investments are beginning to show returns, which could support longer-term growth. Alphabet Beats on Cloud Revenue, Posts Strong Gemini Usage
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with several firms maintaining buy ratings and raising price targets after the earnings report. Tickerreport.com
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet also announced new, cheaper Gemini model updates and work on efficiency-improving AI chips, which may help offset future infrastructure costs if execution improves. Google releases three new Gemini models — but no 3.5 Pro
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are worried Alphabet’s AI capex spree is getting too large, especially after the company raised spending guidance and reported negative free cash flow. Alphabet’s cash burn raises alarm for Big Tech as AI spending climbs
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet also faces added regulatory pressure after the EU hit Google with a roughly $1 billion antitrust fine over Search and Play Store practices. Google hit with $1 billion EU fine, first under landmark rules

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.