Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Trading Up 1.1% – What’s Next?

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s stock price traded up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $334.44 and last traded at $332.73. 23,794,398 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 12% from the average session volume of 21,298,396 shares. The stock had previously closed at $329.14.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple chooses Google’s Gemini to power the next generation of Siri and Apple Foundation Models — a multi‑year licensing/cloud deal that validates Gemini at scale and gives Alphabet a high‑margin, recurring revenue channel and access to Apple’s huge device base. Google and Apple enter into multi-year AI deal for Gemini models
• Positive Sentiment: AI optimism pushed Alphabet into the ~$4 trillion market‑cap club — headlines and analyst commentary frame Google as a potential long‑term AI winner (Gemini, Cloud, TPUs), which fuels momentum buying and multiple expansion. Alphabet hits $4 trillion valuation as AI refocus lifts sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and other sell‑side notes highlight Alphabet’s data moat and Cloud/AI growth as durable upside drivers — supportive research helps underpin longer‑term buy interest despite a rich near‑term multiple. Jefferies Sees Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Data Moat and Cloud Growth Driving Long-Term Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts are tempering enthusiasm by lowering conviction or trimming ratings (e.g., downgrades from “Strong Buy” to “Buy”) citing stretched forward multiples — this signals limited near‑term upside even as fundamentals stay strong. Alphabet: Reviewing My 2025 Top Pick, Downgrade To Buy On Less Attractive Setup
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional portfolio moves show some trimming of GOOGL positions in recent 13F updates (e.g., Davenport & Co and E. Ohman filings flagged reductions), which could modestly weigh supply/demand dynamics if continued. Fund Update: DAVENPORT & Co LLC Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling activity (including CEO sales disclosed in filings) is being tracked by markets and can add short‑term selling pressure or concern about timing of stock sales. Alphabet (GOOGL) Delivered Solid Performance in the Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: High‑profile criticism (Elon Musk calling the deal an “unreasonable concentration of power”) creates headline risk and could attract regulatory scrutiny or political attention over big‑tech partnerships — a reputational/regulatory risk to monitor. Elon Musk Slams Google, Apple Deal: ‘Unreasonable Concentration Of Power’

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GOOG shares. DA Davidson set a $300.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Truist Financial set a $350.00 price objective on Alphabet in a report on Friday, December 5th. Hsbc Global Res raised Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Alphabet from $215.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $318.18.

Alphabet Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $4.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.81, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average of $307.88 and a 200 day moving average of $251.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.58. The firm had revenue of $102.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.00% and a net margin of 32.23%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 8.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.19, for a total value of $184,914.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,206,872.04. The trade was a 13.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of Alphabet 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 owned 8,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,798,832.60. The trade was a 23.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 227,365 shares of company stock valued at $67,350,070. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Alphabet

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of GOOG. Accelerate Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Accelerate Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,166 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $993,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 3.3% during the third quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 1,093 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Robinson Smith Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.8% during the third quarter. Robinson Smith Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,070 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Searle & CO. raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% during the third quarter. Searle & CO. now owns 5,703 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,389,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 5,846 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,424,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

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.