FY2026 EPS Estimates for Alphabet Raised by Erste Group Bank

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) – Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Alphabet in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the information services provider will earn $11.48 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $11.44. The consensus estimate for Alphabet’s current full-year earnings is $8.89 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Alphabet’s FY2027 earnings at $13.41 EPS.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $113.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The business’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.15 earnings per share.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Alphabet from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $345.71.

Alphabet Stock Down 3.1%

GOOG opened at $280.74 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $314.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $294.73. Alphabet has a 1-year low of $142.66 and a 1-year high of $350.15. The stock has a market cap of $3.40 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 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.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.89, for a total transaction of $10,006,425.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,642,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $505,573,853.40. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total transaction of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 13,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,987,279.15. This trade represents a 78.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,110,165 shares of company stock valued at $118,134,117. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Tripletail Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter worth $40,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum — Google’s Gemini upgrades and other AI improvements are boosting Search engagement and product monetization potential, supporting the longer-term ad and cloud growth thesis. Analysts and AI-focused commentary highlight upside from AI-driven search/product improvements. Zacks: Alphabet Relies on AI to Boost Search Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/institutional support — Some firms have nudged up FY EPS estimates and price targets (Erste, MarketBeat coverage of broad analyst upgrades), reflecting confidence in cloud, search and Gemini monetization — a stabilizing factor for long-term holders. MarketBeat: Analyst Optimism and Upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational milestones — Waymo and DeepMind deals (robotics, AD miles) show execution in adjacent growth areas; positive for long-term optionality but limited near-term revenue impact. These are credibility wins but not big drivers of current quarter results. Blockonomi: Waymo Milestone
• Negative Sentiment: Landmark liability verdicts — A Los Angeles jury found Google (YouTube) liable in a youth social-media addiction case; the ruling is being framed as a bellwether that could spur more suits and regulatory scrutiny. Investors are pricing in higher legal/regulatory risk and potential compliance costs, which has pressured the stock today. Reuters: US jury verdicts tee up fight over tech liability shield
• Negative Sentiment: Sector spillover from AI/chip headlines — Google researchers’ memory-compression news (and the related debate) has sparked volatility across memory/chip suppliers; that throws a short-term cold shower on tech sentiment and can drive indiscriminate selling in megacaps despite the company being the source of the innovation. CNBC: Google AI breakthrough pressures memory chip stocks

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.