Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Trading 1.9% Higher – Time to Buy?

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s share price shot up 1.9% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $353.30 and last traded at $350.87. Approximately 17,230,540 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 20,678,008 shares. The stock had previously closed at $344.41.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet began taking pre-orders for its new Googlebook laptops, priced from $899 to $1,299 and featuring built-in Gemini AI and Android connectivity. The launch gives Alphabet a potential new hardware channel for monetizing its AI ecosystem. Google’s $899 Googlebook is a bet that you’ll buy a new laptop for Gemini
• Positive Sentiment: Kairos Power selected Samsung C&T to help build a 50-megawatt demonstration nuclear reactor for Google, with completion targeted for 2030. The project supports Alphabet’s long-term effort to secure reliable, low-carbon electricity for energy-intensive AI data centers. Kairos Power gets up to $100M from Samsung group to build nuclear reactor for Google
• Positive Sentiment: An investment analysis rated GOOG “Accumulate,” citing Alphabet’s broad AI exposure across chips, software, cloud and telecommunications, as well as a sharply larger backlog and 24% year-over-year quarterly revenue growth. Google: The One-Stop AI Shop
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and investor commentary continued to highlight Alphabet as a major beneficiary of the AI infrastructure buildout, with potential growth from cloud computing, Gemini and future data-center demand. Here’s What to Expect From AI’s Two Biggest 2026 Spenders in 2027
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet agreed to report content flagged as child sexual abuse material directly to Indian authorities, changing its usual reporting route. The move may improve regulatory cooperation but could create additional compliance obligations. Google to report child abuse content directly to Indian authorities
• Negative Sentiment: Ireland’s Data Protection Commission fined Google €403 million, or about $463 million, for mishandling users’ location data between 2018 and 2020. The penalty adds to Alphabet’s regulatory costs and highlights ongoing privacy risks in Europe. Irish regulator fines Google €403 million over location data processing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer reiterated 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. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $475.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Alphabet from $418.00 to $411.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $395.00 price target (down from $445.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities started coverage on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $415.55.

Alphabet Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company’s 50 day moving average is $343.08 and its 200-day moving average is $343.02. The company has a market capitalization of $4.29 trillion, a P/E ratio of 17.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.21.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $9.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $6.24. The company had revenue of $119.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.53 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 54.77% and a return on equity of 51.32%. Alphabet’s revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 20.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 4th. Alphabet’s payout ratio is currently 4.42%.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.20, for a total value of $149,606.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 27,386 shares in the company, valued at $9,125,015.20. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 118,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.90, for a total value of $2,232,808.20. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 450,875 shares of company stock valued at $11,984,482 in the last ninety days. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alphabet

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew 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 worth $3,094,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC raised its position 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 valued at $1,390,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Wisconsin Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $785,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Financial Enhancement Group LLC lifted 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 worth $380,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Johnson Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,842 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $651,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Alphabet

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent company of Google. It was established in 2015 as part of a corporate restructuring intended to separate Google’s core internet businesses from a collection of other ventures. Google remains Alphabet’s largest business and serves users, advertisers, businesses and developers worldwide.

Google’s principal products and services include its internet search engine, online advertising platforms, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play and Google Photos.