Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Price Target Cut to $420.00 by Analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) had its price objective decreased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $460.00 to $420.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the information services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on GOOG. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $445.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $395.00 price target (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $475.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $420.00 target price (down from $435.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $410.09.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of Alphabet stock opened at $318.34 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $362.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $337.51. Alphabet has a 12 month low of $188.70 and a 12 month high of $404.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.86 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.99, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 57.20%. The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.31 EPS. Alphabet’s quarterly revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet will post 14.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 6.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $387,061.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,481 shares in the company, valued at $545,941.03. The trade was a 41.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $341.72, for a total value of $153,432.28. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,348 shares in the company, valued at $9,345,358.56. This represents a 1.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 159,415 shares of company stock worth $7,672,279. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 29,896 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $9,381,000 after buying an additional 2,341 shares in the last quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 275,943 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $86,596,000 after buying an additional 2,850 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 60,739 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $19,060,000 after buying an additional 4,239 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 190,654 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $59,827,000 after acquiring an additional 15,280 shares during the period. Finally, Violich Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc. now owns 340,776 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $106,936,000 after acquiring an additional 3,378 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet posted blockbuster Q2 results, with revenue up 24% to $119.8 billion and EPS of $9.11, while Google Cloud revenue jumped 82% year over year and YouTube ad revenue also remained strong.
• Positive Sentiment: Management and analysts said AI demand is still outpacing capacity, suggesting Alphabet’s spending is supporting long-term growth rather than just driving costs.
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms kept bullish ratings or raised targets, saying the pullback may be creating an attractive entry point despite near-term volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet disclosed a large stake in SpaceX, which some investors view as an additional valuable asset on the balance sheet.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, a modest capital-return move that is unlikely to be a major near-term driver given the stock’s much larger AI investment story.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several funds and institutions disclosed portfolio changes in GOOG, with some adding shares and others trimming, reflecting mixed but ongoing institutional interest.
• Neutral Sentiment: Google also rolled out small product updates such as selfie-video sign-in and easier iPhone-to-Android switching, which are positive for engagement but not material stock catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are worried about Alphabet’s sharply higher capital spending guidance for 2026 and a first-ever quarterly negative free cash flow reading, raising concerns that AI investments may take longer to pay off.
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet ended its long-running quarterly buyback pattern, which removes a steady source of support for the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: The company also faces fresh regulatory and legal pressure, including an about $1 billion EU antitrust fine and multiple securities-fraud investigations.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of declining Google search traffic from AI overviews and concerns about publisher partnerships add another overhang to the core search business.

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.