Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Upgraded at DZ Bank

DZ Bank upgraded shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on GOOG. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Alphabet from $290.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on shares of Alphabet from $330.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $343.90.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.4%

GOOG stock opened at $303.94 on Monday. Alphabet has a 1-year low of $142.66 and a 1-year high of $350.15. The stock has a market cap of $3.68 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company’s 50 day moving average is $321.07 and its 200 day moving average is $277.91.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The business 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.15 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alphabet news, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total transaction of $35,060,852.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,211,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $723,945,705.60. This represents a 1.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 2,032,408 shares of company stock worth $94,926,707 in the last quarter. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,901,000 after acquiring an additional 6,410 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% during the second quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,697,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 7.4% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 594,959 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $105,540,000 after purchasing an additional 41,132 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Alphabet in the second quarter worth $174,516,000. Finally, Schubert & Co purchased a new position in Alphabet during the second quarter valued at $310,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum: Analysts and commentators are highlighting Gemini and Google Cloud as major growth drivers (upgrades and optimistic forecasts tied to AI-driven revenue and margin improvements). This narrative is supporting the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: YouTube ad strength and double‑digit cloud revenue gains are being cited as near-term earnings/revenue support that helped lift sentiment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/ratings momentum: DZ Bank and other firms have issued bullish takes (upgrades/strong‑buy calls), which can attract buyers after recent pullbacks. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional conviction: Some large managers (e.g., Royal Bank of Canada) added to GOOG in 13F filings and Berkshire Hathaway kept its Google exposure — signals that long‑term holders remain constructive. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Product cadence: Google set I/O for May 19–20 and is broadly expected to show new AI hardware (smart glasses) — a medium‑term catalyst, but timing and monetization remain speculative. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/watch items: Waymo defended its use of remote assistance before Congress; it’s a reputational/regulatory story to watch but not immediate earnings pressure. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional trimming: Multiple big funds trimmed GOOGL in recent 13F filings (Ameriprise, Northern Trust, Veritas, First Pacific), which creates supply pressure and suggests some profit‑taking/rebalancing. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: CapEx and margin concerns: Coverage highlights heavy AI/dc spending across hyperscalers; investors are treating elevated 2026 capex as a near‑term headwind that can cap multiples even if it supports long‑term moat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and high‑profile trims: A board director sold 600 shares (disclosed) and prominent value managers (e.g., Terry Smith, Bill Ackman) reduced GOOGL exposure in filings — signals that can amplify near‑term selling. Article Title

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.