Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Stock Price Up 1.2% After Analyst Upgrade

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s stock price traded up 1.2% during trading on Tuesday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $335.00 to $370.00. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the stock. Alphabet traded as high as $340.49 and last traded at $335.97. 33,334,991 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 5% from the average session volume of 31,712,693 shares. The stock had previously closed at $331.86.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on GOOGL. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, December 1st. President Capital upped their price target on Alphabet from $258.00 to $323.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Citic Securities increased their price target on Alphabet from $230.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $390.00 price objective on Alphabet and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $326.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 17,829 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider directly owned 42,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,531,453.08. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.21, for a total value of $10,439,325.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,244,372 shares in the company, valued at $720,914,730.12. The trade was a 1.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 189,309 shares of company stock valued at $57,724,770 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 11.55% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple selected Google’s Gemini models to power the next-generation Siri and other AI features, a multi-year licensing deal that validates Gemini at scale and creates a new non‑ad high‑margin revenue stream (analysts estimate ~ $1B/yr). Why Apple Chose Google to Power the Future of AI
• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm around AI pushed Alphabet into the $4 trillion market-cap club, a milestone that signals strong sentiment for continued growth in AI products and cloud infrastructure. Alphabet hits $4 trillion valuation as AI refocus lifts sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Alphabet to $370 and maintained a Buy rating, giving the stock visible analyst upside and supporting demand. Benzinga coverage of price-target raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Google will develop and manufacture high‑end phones in Vietnam this year — a strategic move to broaden hardware efforts and diversify supply chains, but one that is longer‑term in potential revenue impact. Google to develop, manufacture smartphones in Vietnam
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive AI initiatives from peers (e.g., Microsoft’s retail Copilot and Walmart integrations) highlight a crowded AI field; these developments are important for strategic positioning but are not an immediate earnings hit to Alphabet. Microsoft Wants to Power Retail Without Competing With It
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets and stock‑picker lists continue to include Alphabet among top growth/AI plays for 2026, reinforcing momentum but also reflecting high expectations that must be met in upcoming reports. Best Growth Stocks to Buy in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: High‑profile criticism (Elon Musk) of the Apple‑Google deal raises the profile of antitrust and concentration-of-power concerns — a reputational/regulatory risk investors should monitor as regulators scrutinize big‑tech partnerships. Elon Musk Slams Google, Apple Deal

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOGL. PMV Capital Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter worth about $31,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $53,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Corsicana & Co. bought a new position in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $308.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $252.09. The firm has a market cap of $4.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.08.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.58. The firm had revenue of $102.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.00% and a net margin of 32.23%. Equities research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis 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 is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google’s core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google’s consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.