Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Stock Rating Upgraded by Raymond James Financial

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Raymond James Financial from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on GOOGL. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $320.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Hsbc Global Res raised Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Alphabet from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price objective (up previously from $250.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on Alphabet from $225.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-two have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.40.

Alphabet Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of GOOGL stock opened at $328.04 on Thursday. Alphabet has a fifty-two week low of $140.53 and a fifty-two week high of $340.49. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $315.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $259.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.08.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.58. The business had revenue of $102.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. Research analysts expect that Alphabet will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alphabet news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.52, for a total value of $202,512.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,163,524.48. This represents a 2.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total transaction of $867,569.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,962 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,832.60. This represents a 23.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 222,409 shares of company stock valued at $68,564,532. Insiders own 11.64% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Members Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Members Trust Co now owns 6,434 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,014,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. now owns 7,952 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,489,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Lifelong Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Alphabet by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Lifelong Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,728 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. White Wing Wealth Management boosted its position in Alphabet by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. White Wing Wealth Management now owns 1,155 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantum Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Quantum Financial Advisors LLC now owns 11,799 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $3,693,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple ties Gemini to Siri, widening Gemini distribution and strengthening Alphabet’s AI moat — a material revenue/strategic positive for GOOGL that supports premium multiples and growth expectations. How Apple’s Gemini-Powered Siri Deal Will Impact Alphabet (GOOGL) Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst moves — Wolfe Research lifted its price target to $390, Raymond James upgraded to “strong buy” and raised targets (reports of a $400 target), and Deutsche Bank raised its target — fueling buy-side momentum and supporting upside expectations. Wolfe Research Adjusts Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Google pushes into AI shopping and other AI-enabled monetization avenues — analysts and outlets highlight accelerating product-led revenue opportunities that underpin long-term growth. Google’s Making a Splash in AI Shopping
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/market commentary: recent ~3–4% pullback called a routine consolidation within a long-term uptrend — suggests no fundamental change but signals caution for investors seeking cheaper entry points. Alphabet Cools After the Run: Buy Now or Wait for a Better Entry?
• Neutral Sentiment: Waymo launched robotaxi service in Miami (business expansion) — growth opportunity for autonomous revenue but not yet material to near-term GAAP results. Waymo launches robotaxi service in Miami
• Negative Sentiment: NTSB opens an investigation after Waymo robotaxis were recorded illegally passing stopped school buses multiple times — raises regulatory, safety and reputational risks for Alphabet’s autonomous-driving unit and could lead to operational constraints or fines. US safety board opens probe into Waymo robotaxis passing stopped school buses
• Negative Sentiment: Federal judge allowed a consumer antitrust lawsuit over Google’s default-search payments to proceed — continued legal exposure that could affect search economics and ad revenue over time. Judge Orders Google to Face Consumer Antitrust Lawsuit Over Search

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.