Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Upgraded by Wells Fargo & Company to Strong-Buy Rating

Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on GOOG. 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. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $345.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Mizuho set a $325.00 price objective on Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Pivotal Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $420.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Alphabet from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $315.00 to $400.00 in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $343.90.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG opened at $311.69 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $321.00 and its 200-day moving average is $280.89. Alphabet has a 12-month low of $142.66 and a 12-month high of $350.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.77 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.15 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.77%.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.30, for a total value of $10,637,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,211,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $723,945,705.60. This represents a 1.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total value of $867,569.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,798,832.60. The trade was a 23.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,112,482 shares of company stock worth $119,145,289. 12.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,410 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,697,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 594,959 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $105,540,000 after acquiring an additional 41,132 shares during the period. Joseph P. Lucia & Associates LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Joseph P. Lucia & Associates LLC now owns 3,134 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $556,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. boosted its holdings in Alphabet by 2.8% during the second quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 9,364 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,661,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street bullishness: Several firms (Wells Fargo, Mizuho and others) have upgraded or reiterated bullish ratings and raised price targets (median ~ $370, multiple targets much higher), supporting upside expectations for ad/Gemini growth. ‘Time to Get More Constructive,’ Says Wells Fargo on Alphabet Stock (GOOGL)
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships expand commercial reach: Alphabet struck a collaboration with Loblaw in Canada to embed Google shopping/AI capabilities, widening retail monetization touchpoints outside core U.S. markets. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Loblaw Companies Limited Enters into New Collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Product momentum in AI: Google launched Lyria 3 (DeepMind music-generation) in beta inside the Gemini app, showing ongoing product expansion that can drive engagement and new use cases for monetization. Alphabet (GOOGL) Expands AI Reach Amid Market Debate
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry capex context: Bridgewater estimates Big Tech will invest roughly $650B in AI infrastructure in 2026 — a sector-wide capital cycle that helps explain Alphabet’s spending plans but also signals competitive pressure on margins and suppliers. Big Tech to invest about $650 billion in AI in 2026, Bridgewater says
• Neutral Sentiment: Debate over AI capex sustainability: Social and industry commentary highlights that Alphabet is funding massive AI buildouts internally (versus peers using debt), creating long-term strategic advantages for suppliers but stirring free-cash-flow and energy-demand concerns. Alphabet Stock (GOOGL) Opinions on AI Infrastructure Expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Capex and cash-flow anxiety: Several pieces (and investor chatter) point to aggressive AI spending that could pressure free cash flow in 2026 — a headline driver that has weighed on the stock despite Alphabet’s large backlog and revenue growth. Alphabet: Don’t Let The CapEx Scare You Away From A $240B Backlog
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and governance headlines: Recent large insider sales (including CEO transactions reported) add short-term selling pressure and raise governance/optics concerns for some investors. Insider Selling: Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) CEO Sells $9,877,400.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Accounting scrutiny: High-profile skepticism (e.g., Michael Burry commentary) accusing Big Tech of using accounting/depreciation to mask AI costs is adding reputational and analytical headwinds that can amplify volatility. Michael Burry Warns MSFT, GOOG, META Are Using ‘Sinister’ Accounting

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.