Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) Stock Price Up 1.9% – Here’s Why

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares rose 1.9% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $345.17 and last traded at $344.90. Approximately 22,323,239 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 8% from the average daily volume of 20,673,430 shares. The stock had previously closed at $338.53.

More Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Waymo raised $16 billion in a financing that values the unit around $126 billion — a large liquidity/valuation event that de-risks Alphabet’s self?driving investment and creates a clearer monetization pathway for the Waymo asset. Waymo valued at $126 billion in latest financing
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary point to AI-powered Search, YouTube, and Cloud strength that could drive a strong Q4 print; bullish previews are supporting optimism into the company’s Feb. 4 earnings release. Will Alphabet’s Q4 Earnings Send GOOGL Stock Higher?
• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet dodged a proposed $2.36 billion class?action penalty in a favorable court ruling — reduces a regulatory/legal overhang and potential near?term cash risk. Google dodges $2.36B class action penalty
• Neutral Sentiment: The options market is pricing elevated volatility into the post?earnings move (roughly a mid?single?digit implied swing), so traders are positioning for a meaningful reaction to Q4 results rather than a clear directional consensus. Options market braces for a ~6% swing
• Neutral Sentiment: AI competitor developments (e.g., reports of Claude 5 launch odds) increase the headline noise for the AI narrative — could amplify trading volatility but not yet a proven earnings/R&D threat to Alphabet. Claude 5 launch probability rises
• Negative Sentiment: Several institutional 13F filings and fund updates show modest trimming of GOOG/GOOGL positions (Provident Trust, STRS Ohio, Fifth Third among others), which can add selling pressure and suggest some positioning reduction ahead of earnings. PROVIDENT TRUST CO fund update
• Negative Sentiment: A major shareholder disclosed a roughly $35M sale — a direct supply event that can weigh on near?term liquidity and contribute to intraday weakness if follow?through selling occurs. Major shareholder sale disclosed

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on GOOG shares. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target (up from $336.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, January 9th. Hsbc Global Res raised Alphabet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $375.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $330.83.

Alphabet Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $320.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.16 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.01, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.09.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 8.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.52, for a total value of $202,512.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,163,524.48. The trade was a 2.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,211,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $723,945,705.60. The trade was a 1.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 2,069,531 shares of company stock valued at $104,158,826 in the last quarter. 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 bought and sold shares of the stock. IFS Advisors LLC grew its position in Alphabet by 400.0% during the second quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 58.7% in the 2nd quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 165 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Fairman Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 121.3% during the 2nd quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. University of Illinois Foundation bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

About Alphabet

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.