Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Shares Up 1.5% – Time to Buy?

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s share price was up 1.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $359.49 and last traded at $351.37. Approximately 13,147,303 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average daily volume of 21,434,475 shares. The stock had previously closed at $346.12.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google is reportedly developing a new AI server chip, “Frozen v2,” designed to run Gemini more efficiently and embed model architecture into hardware. Reuters: Google plans new chip to run Gemini models more efficiently
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is rising ahead of Q2 earnings on Wednesday, with investors expecting strong Search and Cloud results and potential upside from AI-driven demand. Zacks earnings preview
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts remain broadly bullish on Alphabet, with recent notes and price targets implying further upside from current levels. Finbold analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Options traders are anticipating a sizable earnings move, signaling elevated interest and expectations around the upcoming report. TipRanks options article
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s Q2 earnings are scheduled for Wednesday, and traders are closely watching guidance for AI capital spending, cloud growth, and ad trends.
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors remain concerned that Google’s AI rollout and model timing could lag rivals, with commentary noting delayed Gemini 3.5 Pro rollout and competitive pressure in AI. Motley Fool: Gemini 3.5 Pro delay

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group set a $430.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Phillip Securities downgraded Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Alphabet from $395.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $383.44.

Alphabet Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.26 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.80, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $366.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $336.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company posted $2.81 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. This is a positive change from Alphabet’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 6.71%.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total value of $2,077,531.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total value of $3,142,911.42. Following the sale, the insider owned 75,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,298,044.10. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 159,415 shares of company stock worth $7,672,279. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alphabet

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $22,901,000 after acquiring an additional 6,410 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 76.2% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,865,304 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $330,886,000 after purchasing an additional 806,681 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter worth approximately $658,000. Financial Advisors Network Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 7.7% in the second quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 7,945 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alphabet by 10.7% in the second quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 37,310 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $6,618,000 after purchasing an additional 3,616 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.