Erste Group Bank Weighs in on Alphabet FY2026 Earnings

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) – Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank reduced their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Alphabet in a report issued on Wednesday, October 21st. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the information services provider will earn $20.56 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $20.59. The consensus estimate for Alphabet’s current full-year earnings is $20.60 per share.

GOOG has been the subject of several other reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $485.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, October 9th. DZ Bank raised shares of Alphabet from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $420.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $420.00 price objective (down from $435.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $421.85.

Alphabet Trading Down 1.0%

GOOG opened at $314.19 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.84 trillion, a P/E ratio of 15.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.19. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $339.58 and its 200-day moving average is $338.81. Alphabet has a 52-week low of $264.94 and a 52-week high of $404.47. The company has a quick ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.4% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 369,922,502 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $130,704,718,000 after purchasing an additional 5,164,200 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 190,923,442 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $67,458,980,000 after buying an additional 5,208,690 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 21,922,379 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,288,654,000 after buying an additional 4,083,758 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 17,313,729 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,117,460,000 after buying an additional 913,666 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 24.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 17,209,454 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,080,616,000 after buying an additional 3,432,287 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Alphabet news, Director Frances Arnold sold 83 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.45, for a total transaction of $28,257.35. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,494,424.20. This trade represents a 0.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Marsida Saraci sold 449 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,125,015.20. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 696 shares of company stock valued at $232,894. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s Google Cloud business remains a major growth driver. Cloud revenue reportedly grew 82% in the second quarter, while its backlog reached approximately $514 billion. Anthropic’s IPO filing also disclosed roughly $114.5 billion in non-cancelable cloud commitments with Alphabet, potentially providing substantial long-term revenue visibility. Alphabet Has $514 Billion in Cloud Orders
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investment managers continue to identify Alphabet as a potential leader in AI assistants, with growth prospects supported by resilient advertising, Google Cloud expansion and increasing Gemini adoption. Some long-term forecasts anticipate significant earnings growth over the next five years. Alphabet Stock: 3 Reasons Why GOOGL Is a Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s upcoming quarterly results are the central near-term catalyst. Investors are focused on Search growth, Google Cloud margins, Gemini monetization and management’s capital-expenditure outlook. The stock has historically moved inconsistently after earnings, increasing the risk of a sharp reaction in either direction. Expected Alphabet Earnings Move
• Neutral Sentiment: Anthropic’s IPO filing supports demand for Alphabet’s cloud infrastructure, but it also highlights the cost of serving AI customers. Investors will need evidence that heavy data-center investment can translate into expanding cloud margins and free cash flow.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated AI infrastructure spending could pressure margins and free cash flow, similar to the negative market reaction following Alphabet’s second-quarter results. Competition from Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Anthropic adds to uncertainty around returns on AI investment.
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms publicized securities-fraud class actions alleging Alphabet misled investors about AI progress during the May 19–July 16 period. Although the announcements do not establish liability, the repeated legal headlines add reputational and potential financial risk. Alphabet Securities Class Action Deadline

Alphabet Company Profile

Alphabet Inc is a technology holding company best known as the parent organization of Google. Founded in 2015 through a corporate restructuring, Alphabet oversees Google and a collection of businesses focused on technology, online services, communications, artificial intelligence, and other emerging areas.

Google’s principal products and services include its internet search engine, digital advertising platforms, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Workspace. The company also provides cloud computing, data storage, cybersecurity, productivity, and artificial intelligence services through Google Cloud.