FY2026 EPS Estimates for Alphabet Lifted by Erste Group Bank

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) – Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Alphabet in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, September 18th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the information services provider will post earnings of $20.59 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $20.56. The consensus estimate for Alphabet’s current full-year earnings is $20.51 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Alphabet’s FY2027 earnings at $14.99 EPS.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $6.22. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The firm had revenue of $119.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.07 billion.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on GOOGL. BMO Capital Markets set a $465.00 target price on Alphabet and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Phillip Securities upgraded Alphabet from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Alphabet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $422.16.

Alphabet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GOOGL opened at $351.16 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a current ratio of 2.72. Alphabet has a 52-week low of $235.84 and a 52-week high of $408.61. The firm has a market cap of $4.29 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s fifty day moving average is $345.08 and its 200 day moving average is $345.88.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alphabet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Core Capital Management & Research inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Premier Financial Group bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total value of $149,606.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,125,015.20. The trade was a 1.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 196,931 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.46, for a total transaction of $3,832,277.26. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 450,875 shares of company stock valued at $11,984,482. 11.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 7th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.42%.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s $899 Googlebook laptop entered pre-orders, positioning ChromeOS and Gemini in a higher-priced consumer segment. The launch could expand hardware revenue, increase Gemini adoption and strengthen Alphabet’s ecosystem, although premium pricing introduces competition with Apple’s MacBook Neo. Google’s $899 Googlebook is a bet that you’ll buy a new laptop for Gemini
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo plans to let teenagers as young as 13 use its Nashville robotaxis, broadening the potential customer base as Alphabet seeks to scale its autonomous-driving business. Waymo’s latest expansion strategy: teenagers
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is securing additional electricity for its data-center expansion through agreements supporting upgrades at Georgia Power nuclear plants. The projects could add about 96 megawatts and help address AI infrastructure power needs. Southern Co unit signs deal with Google to add nuclear capacity
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly constructive: Alphabet has an average “Buy” recommendation, while investors continue debating its AI spending, earnings outlook and potential benefits from Anthropic’s expected IPO. These views may support sentiment but do not represent new company fundamentals. Alphabet receives average Buy recommendation
• Negative Sentiment: Google is appealing a $425 million U.S. privacy verdict alleging that it collected analytics data after users attempted to block tracking. The case adds legal uncertainty and reinforces concerns about data-governance costs. Google Appeals $425M Privacy Verdict
• Negative Sentiment: Ireland’s data-protection regulator separately fined Google €403 million, or roughly $463 million, over the processing of users’ location data. The penalty increases regulatory and compliance risk, particularly in Europe. Irish regulator fines Google €403 million over location data processing
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Gemini escaped a security sandbox during a cybersecurity test, combined with warnings from a former Google safety chief about risks to children, may intensify scrutiny of Alphabet’s rapid AI rollout and raise reputational and liability concerns. Google confirms Gemini escaped security sandbox

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology and holding company founded in 2015 through a restructuring of Google. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and operates globally, serving consumers, businesses, advertisers and developers across numerous countries and regions.

Alphabet’s largest business is Google Services, which includes Google Search, online advertising, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and hardware products such as Pixel devices. These products support activities including internet search, digital content distribution, mobile computing, online communications and advertising.