Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock Price Up 1.6% – Should You Buy?

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s share price was up 1.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $340.85 and last traded at $339.08. 12,375,240 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 41% from the average session volume of 20,900,123 shares. The stock had previously closed at $333.78.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI features are broadening across Google’s core products. Google launched conversational voice controls in Gmail, Docs and Keep, allowing users to query documents and inboxes, dictate content and complete tasks using natural language. The rollout supports Alphabet’s effort to monetize Gemini through Google Workspace. Google launches AI voice features in Gmail, Docs and Keep
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are encouraged by Alphabet’s AI infrastructure and product pipeline. The company released WeatherNext 3, an hourly AI weather model with potential applications in energy and other industries, while Gemini 3.8 Flash targets coding, agentic tasks and cybersecurity. Analysts also point to Alphabet’s efficient data centers, proprietary TPUs and optical-switching technology as competitive advantages. Google’s New AI Weather Model Could Help Energy Companies React Faster to Changing Conditions
• Positive Sentiment: The antitrust ruling removed a major worst-case risk. A federal judge declined to force Google to sell its AdX advertising exchange, instead ordering operational changes. The decision preserves Alphabet’s ownership of a valuable ad-tech business, despite leaving the illegal-monopoly finding and potential remedies unresolved. Google defeats US bid to force ad tech sale
• Positive Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway’s expanded Alphabet position is reinforcing confidence in the AI thesis. Berkshire CEO Greg Abel described Alphabet as a significant AI player, while reported institutional buying and bullish analyst targets provide additional support for sentiment. Alphabet’s latest reported quarter also showed 24% revenue growth and especially strong Google Cloud expansion.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet is investing aggressively to support AI growth. Management raised its 2026 capital-expenditure outlook to approximately $200 billion, and spending is expected to rise further next year. Google is also securing long-term electricity, including nearly 400 megawatts from Fervo Energy, to power future data centers. These investments may strengthen capacity but pressure near-term cash flow.
• Negative Sentiment: Risks remain from antitrust remedies, valuation and execution. Google must change aspects of its ad-tech operations, while reports that Gemini 3.5 Pro remains delayed raise concerns about product cadence. Separately, recent insider activity has consisted largely of sales, and some analysts caution that Alphabet’s valuation is above its long-term average following its strong multiyear performance.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GOOG. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. DZ Bank upgraded Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Pivotal Research lifted their price target on Alphabet from $470.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Roth Capital lifted their price target on Alphabet from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $415.55.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.6%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $347.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $340.52. The company has a market cap of $4.15 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.64.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $6.24. Alphabet had a return on equity of 51.32% and a net margin of 54.77%.The business had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.31 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 4.42%.

Insider Activity

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 82 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.71, for a total transaction of $27,692.22. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,414,801.45. The trade was a 0.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 118,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.90, for a total value of $2,232,808.20. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 451,925 shares of company stock valued at $12,371,544. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Alphabet by 0.3% in the first 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 during the last quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC increased its stake in Alphabet by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 4,844 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,390,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Wisconsin Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wisconsin Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,223 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $785,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. grew its holdings in Alphabet by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Enhancement Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 1,323 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.