Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Stock Price Target Lowered at Truist Financial

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) had its target price cut by research analysts at Truist Financial from $420.00 to $410.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the information services provider’s stock. Truist Financial‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 43.68% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on GOOGL. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Yorkville Ives began coverage on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $385.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $445.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Alphabet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $417.68.

Alphabet Stock Down 12.2%

Alphabet stock traded down $39.53 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $285.36. The stock had a trading volume of 47,931,844 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,481,199. Alphabet has a 52 week low of $270.70 and a 52 week high of $408.61. The company has a market cap of $3.49 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.35, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.64. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $341.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $340.66.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The information services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.02 by ($0.90). The business had revenue of $127.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $127.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet will post 20.60 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total value of $28,257.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 19,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,494,424.20. This represents a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 11.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Corecam AG bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth approximately $1,622,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its position in Alphabet by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 10,821 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $3,723,000 after buying an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Verus Financial Partners Inc. raised its position in Alphabet by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Verus Financial Partners Inc. now owns 3,485 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,199,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Columbia Bank lifted its stake in Alphabet by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Columbia Bank now owns 48,070 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $16,540,000 after acquiring an additional 2,743 shares during the period. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Alphabet by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 39,476 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $13,583,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares during the period. 40.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed its “buy” rating and set a $450 price target, implying substantial upside from current levels. Needham rating
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud revenue reportedly more than doubled to approximately $31 billion, beating expectations and highlighting strong demand for Alphabet’s AI infrastructure and services. Google Cloud revenue report
• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI is reportedly planning to use Google’s custom TPU chips, while Alphabet is expanding TPU availability through Oracle Cloud. The developments could create a new AI-chip revenue stream and reduce reliance on Nvidia. Google TPU expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet retains a strong balance sheet and relatively modest leverage, supporting continued investment in AI despite near-term pressure on free cash flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: Rosenblatt and Cantor Fitzgerald kept positive ratings but reduced their price targets to $380 and $350, respectively—suggesting continued confidence while acknowledging higher execution and spending risks.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s reported SpaceX investment produced a major mark-to-market loss that reduced quarterly earnings, but the accounting impact does not necessarily reflect deterioration in core operating performance. SpaceX investment impact
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings were $2.12 per share versus a $3.02 consensus estimate, while revenue of $127.58 billion also slightly missed expectations. Alphabet earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: Search and other revenue grew 12% but fell short of forecasts for a second consecutive quarter. YouTube advertising revenue also missed estimates, increasing concern that AI search may be pressuring Alphabet’s highest-margin business.
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy data-center and AI investment pushed free cash flow to a larger-than-expected deficit, reinforcing worries that spending is rising faster than monetization. Alphabet cash burn report
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms announced securities-fraud class-action deadlines tied to alleged disclosures about Gemini development, adding a legal overhang, although the lawsuits are not currently a core earnings driver.

About Alphabet

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known for its Google subsidiary. Google operates a global internet-services business centered on online search, digital advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and a broad range of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools.

Google Cloud provides infrastructure, data analytics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and enterprise software services to businesses, governments, and other organizations. Alphabet also develops consumer hardware, including Pixel devices and products for connected homes, while investing in emerging businesses through its “Other Bets” segment, including autonomous transportation and life sciences initiatives.

Alphabet was established in 2015 as part of a corporate restructuring that made Google a subsidiary and provided a separate structure for its expanding portfolio of businesses.