Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Trading Up 1.7% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) shot up 1.7% on Monday after Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on the stock from $305.00 to $335.00. Sanford C. Bernstein currently has a market perform rating on the stock. Alphabet traded as high as $344.83 and last traded at $343.69. 31,608,801 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 3% from the average session volume of 30,770,734 shares. The stock had previously closed at $338.00.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on GOOGL. Wedbush upped their target price on Alphabet from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Mizuho set a $365.00 price target on shares of Alphabet and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Truist Financial set a $350.00 target price on shares of Alphabet and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-two have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $335.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total value of $867,569.40. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $35,060,852.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,066,753 shares of company stock valued at $103,358,040. Insiders own 11.55% of the company’s stock.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waymo raised $16 billion in a financing that values the Alphabet self‑driving unit at about $126 billion — a material de‑risk / value‑creation event for Alphabet that could crystallize value in a high‑growth AI/robotics segment. Waymo fundraising
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud signed a five‑year strategic deal with Liberty Global to deploy Gemini models and cloud tools across its European operations — a tangible commercial win for Google Cloud and proof of enterprise demand for Gemini that supports revenue growth for one of Alphabet’s fastest‑growing segments. Cloud partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Google is embedding more Gemini AI features into Chrome, broadening end‑user reach for Gemini and increasing monetization opportunities across search, ads and consumer products. This deepens the AI moat and supports assumptions of higher ad/engagement monetization. Gemini in Chrome
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile bullish commentary (Jim Cramer) suggests Alphabet may be capturing more AI‑driven revenue than peers like Meta — a market‑narrative tailwind that can attract momentum flows into the stock. Cramer on AI revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $400 and kept a Buy rating — a bullish analyst move that can support further upside and fund flows into GOOGL. Jefferies PT raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet reports Q4 after the close; traders expect a sizable move — this event creates short‑term volatility risk but could validate the AI/revenue narrative if results beat. Earnings move expectation
• Neutral Sentiment: Sanford Bernstein raised its price target to $335 but maintained a “market perform” rating — mixed signal (higher PT but conservative stance), so watch guidance and margins for conviction. Bernstein note
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces highlight strong AI/search/cloud momentum but caution on rising costs and competition — useful framing for investors ahead of earnings. Zacks analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet agreed to pay $135 million to resolve an Android data‑transfer lawsuit — a modest but tangible legal cost and reminder of regulatory/legal exposure. Android settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling of roughly $35M was reported — while not uncommon at large caps, insiders selling can weigh on sentiment if it accelerates. Insider sale

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GOOGL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 110,330 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $20,886,000 after buying an additional 4,110 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,930 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,826,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 1.6% in the second quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC now owns 9,539 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,681,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Alphabet by 27.7% during the second quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,816 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,787,000 after purchasing an additional 3,430 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwest Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 22.0% during the second quarter. Northwest Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,659 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $645,000 after buying an additional 659 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.15 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.89, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $320.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $267.28.

About Alphabet

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.