Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Trading Up 1.6% – Here’s Why

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s stock price rose 1.6% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $336.35 and last traded at $333.59. Approximately 17,964,506 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 21,056,398 shares. The stock had previously closed at $328.43.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: YouTube is now cited as the top social-media source for AI model training (surpassing Reddit); LLMs that can process video amplify the value of YouTube’s unique, first-party content for search, ads and Gemini model improvement — a structural advantage for Google’s ad targeting and cloud AI offerings. Google’s (GOOGL) YouTube Surpasses Reddit as Top Social Media Source for AI Models
• Positive Sentiment: Mirae Asset increased its GOOGL position by an estimated 319,164 shares (~$100M), signaling institutional demand that can support the share price and reduce near-term selling pressure. Fund Update: Mirae Asset Global Investments Co., Ltd. Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Needham reiterated a Buy rating on Alphabet (price target $330), citing an enduring ad moat and favorable dynamics from emerging AI ad models — a supportive analyst view for investor sentiment. Alphabet’s Enduring Ad Moat: Why OpenAI’s Emerging Ad Model Supports a Buy Rating on GOOGL
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s VC arm (alongside Nvidia) backing of AI startup Synthesia at a $4B valuation highlights continued investment in the AI ecosystem and validates Google’s strategic AI partnerships. This bolsters long-term AI growth narratives tied to Google Cloud and Gemini. Nvidia and Alphabet VC arms back AI startup Synthesia at $4 billion valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: High-profile portfolio moves (Pelosi filings) show sales of big-tech shares followed by long-dated call options — a leveraged roll rather than an outright exit, implying continued bullish conviction but also introducing complexity to interpreting share-disposition data. Pelosi’s Bullish 2026 Buy List: AI, Power & Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/volatility risk: markets are cautious ahead of a Fed decision and major tech earnings this week, which could create short-term swings in GOOGL even as the longer-term AI story remains intact. Nasdaq futures in the red ahead of big week, with Fed call, Mag 7 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Google agreed to a proposed $68M settlement over claims its Assistant recorded users, a modest but visible legal expense and reputational issue that could factor into short-term sentiment. Google Agrees to Pay $68M to Settle Google Assistant Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: An insider sale by Alphabet’s CEO (~$10.64M) is being noted by traders; while common for diversification/tax reasons, sizable insider selling can be read negatively in the near term. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) CEO Sells $10,637,250.00 in Stock

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on GOOG. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, January 15th. DA Davidson set a $300.00 price target on Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.13.

Alphabet Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.03 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $316.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $261.38.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The information services provider reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.58. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 35.00%. The business had revenue of $102.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,778 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.30, for a total transaction of $867,569.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,798,832.60. This trade represents a 23.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.30, for a total value of $10,637,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,211,872 shares in the company, valued at $723,945,705.60. This trade represents a 1.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 225,187 shares of company stock valued at $69,365,318. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alphabet

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tradewinds LLC. boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 2,134.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 45,098 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $10,984,000 after purchasing an additional 43,080 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 1.4% in the second quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 170,020 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $30,160,000 after buying an additional 2,304 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 2.2% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 157,143 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $38,272,000 after buying an additional 3,444 shares during the period. American National Bank of Texas bought a new position in Alphabet in the third quarter valued at approximately $900,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Alphabet by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,164,341 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $206,542,000 after acquiring an additional 42,028 shares during the period. 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.