Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemAlphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $399.42 and last traded at $399.6390, with a volume of 10319875 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $383.82.
Trending Headlines about Alphabet
Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Google is expanding its AI strategy beyond chat, signaling new product experiences that could deepen user engagement and support long-term monetization. Google Breaks AI Out of the Chat Window
- Positive Sentiment: Reports that Google is exploring orbital data centers with SpaceX have added to optimism around Alphabet’s AI and cloud growth story. SpaceX, Google in Talks to Explore Data Centers in Orbit
- Positive Sentiment: Several institutional filings showed funds increasing exposure to Alphabet, reinforcing demand for the stock from large investors. Capital World Investors Just Disclosed New Holdings
- Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s strong earnings, cloud growth, and AI positioning continue to attract bullish analyst and investor commentary. Alphabet: The A-Z AI Play Set To Profit From The Whole Industry
- Neutral Sentiment: Some recent fund disclosures also showed major investors trimming Alphabet exposure, though the moves appear more like portfolio rebalancing than a fundamental shift in the business. Capital International Investors Just Disclosed New Holdings
- Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary says Alphabet remains one of the strongest AI-linked names, but also notes that valuations are becoming richer after a major run-up. Big Growth. ‘Undemanding’ Prices.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
GOOG has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $375.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Monday, April 20th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $362.73.
Get Our Latest Analysis on GOOG
Alphabet Trading Up 4.0%
The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $321.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $314.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.84 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.44, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $106.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.81 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.
Alphabet Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This is a positive change from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 6.41%.
Insider Activity
In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 955 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total transaction of $284,590.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,955,564. This trade represents a 8.78% 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, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.38, for a total value of $9,859,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,674,560 shares in the company, valued at $508,028,012.80. The trade was a 1.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 158,553 shares of company stock worth $47,951,856 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Alphabet
Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GOOG. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,508 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $3,094,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% during the first quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 4,844 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,174,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. increased its holdings in Alphabet by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Enhancement Group LLC raised its stake in Alphabet by 2.3% in the first quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.
About Alphabet
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.