Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Price Target Cut to $420.00 by Analysts at Truist Financial

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) had its target price lowered by Truist Financial from $430.00 to $420.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the information services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $420.00 price target on Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $425.00 price target (up from $405.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $450.00 price objective on Alphabet in a report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $420.00 price objective (down from $435.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $460.00 price objective on Alphabet in a research report on Thursday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $410.09.

Alphabet Stock Down 6.9%

GOOG opened at $318.34 on Thursday. Alphabet has a fifty-two week low of $188.70 and a fifty-two week high of $404.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of $362.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $337.51. 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.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Alphabet will post 14.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,345,358.56. This trade represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 159,415 shares of company stock worth $7,672,279. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Alphabet

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

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.