Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Reaches New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to an overweight rating. The company traded as high as $330.54 and last traded at $326.33, with a volume of 6796834 shares. The stock had previously closed at $322.43.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Alphabet from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Alphabet from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Phillip Securities upgraded Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $316.79.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $314.89, for a total value of $5,614,173.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 42,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,531,453.08. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 195,465 shares of company stock valued at $57,056,497. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts raised ratings and price targets (Canaccord to $390; Cantor Fitzgerald set $370), reinforcing buy-side momentum and supporting upside expectations for GOOG. New Analyst Forecast: $GOOGL Given $370 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s / Cantor coverage argues Alphabet’s AI (Gemini) and product improvements position it to take share from OpenAI, underpinning revenue growth expectations. Alphabet Stock Gets an Upgrade. How Google Will Beat ChatGPT.
• Positive Sentiment: Usage data show Gemini 3 gaining market share as ChatGPT user growth slows — positive for ad, cloud and AI-services monetization if the trend continues. Google’s (GOOGL) Gemini 3 Gains Market Share as ChatGPT User Growth Slows
• Positive Sentiment: Hardware/partner traction: Samsung plans to expand Galaxy devices with Gemini features, widening distribution for Google’s AI services. How Samsung’s AI Drive Helps Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Gemini Ambitions
• Neutral Sentiment: EU antitrust regulators will decide on Alphabet’s $32B Wiz cybersecurity acquisition by Feb. 10 — outcome could be material but is pending. EU antitrust regulators to decide on Google’s Wiz deal by February 10
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly bullish with several recent positive rating revisions and a strong analyst consensus, which supports momentum but may already be priced in. Wall Street sets Google stock price for the next 12 months
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet and Character.AI agreed to settle lawsuits alleging AI chatbots harmed minors (including a teen suicide case) — reputational and potential future regulatory/legal costs are risks investors will monitor. Google and Character.AI to Settle Lawsuit Over Teenager’s Death
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling activity remains heavy (many executive sales reported), which some investors view as a negative signal even as institutional accumulation continues. New Analyst Forecast: $GOOGL Given $370 Price Target (insider data)

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in Alphabet by 400.0% during the second 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 last quarter. Robbins Farley increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 160 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 58.7% during the 2nd quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 165 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Fairman Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 121.3% in the 2nd quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $3.92 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $305.07 and its 200-day moving average is $247.79.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.58. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. The business had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.90 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 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.