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Insights on Investing in GOOGL – Analyst Perspectives

Now trading at a price of $284.49, Alphabet has moved 2.9% so far today.

Alphabet returned gains of 57.7% last year, with its stock price reaching a high of $293.95 and a low of $140.53. Over the same period, the stock outperformed the S&P 500 index by 43.4%. More recently, the company's 50-day average price was $257.24. Alphabet Inc. offers various products and platforms in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and Latin America. Based in Mountain View, CA, the Large-Cap Technology company has 190,167 full time employees. Alphabet has offered a 0.4% dividend yield over the last 12 months.

Growing Revenues and Healthy Leverage Levels:

2021 2022 2023 2023 2024 2024
Revenue (M) $257,637 $282,836 $307,394 $307,394 $350,018 $350,018
Operating Margins 31% 26% 27% 27% 32% 32%
Net Margins 30% 21% 24% 24% 28% 28%
Net Income (M) $76,033 $59,972 $73,795 $73,795 $100,118 $100,118
Net Interest Expense (M) $346 $357 $308 $308 $4,482 $4,482
Depreciation & Amort. (M) $10,273 $13,475 $11,946 $11,946 $15,311 $15,311
Diluted Shares (M) 13,483 13,159 12,722 12,722 12,447 12,447
Earnings Per Share $5.64 $4.56 $5.8 $5.8 $8.04 $8.04
EPS Growth n/a -19.15% 27.19% 0.0% 38.62% 0.0%
Avg. Price $125.53 $126.61 $139.69 $140.93 $284.29 $284.29
P/E Ratio 22.26 27.89 24.25 24.47 35.32 35.32
Free Cash Flow (M) $67,012 $60,010 $69,495 $69,495 $72,764 $72,764
CAPEX (M) $24,640 $31,485 $32,251 $32,251 $52,535 $52,535
EV / EBITDA 18.95 18.87 18.46 18.63 27.59 27.59
Total Debt (M) $14,817 $14,701 $11,870 $11,870 $12,000 $12,000
Net Debt / EBITDA -0.07 -0.08 -0.13 -0.13 -0.09 -0.09
Current Ratio 2.93 2.38 2.1 2.1 1.84 1.84

Alphabet has growing revenues and increasing reinvestment in the business, strong operating margins with a stable trend, and positive EPS growth. The company also benefits from generally positive cash flows, a decent current ratio of 1.84, and healthy leverage levels.

a Very Low P/E Ratio but Its Shares Are Expensive:

Alphabet has a trailing twelve month P/E ratio of 25.4, compared to an average of 30.44 for the Technology sector. Based on its EPS guidance of $8.96, the company has a forward P/E ratio of 28.7. The 6.8% compound average growth rate of Alphabet's historical and projected earnings per share yields a PEG ratio of 3.72. This suggests that these shares are overvalued. Furthermore, Alphabet is likely overvalued compared to the book value of its equity, since its P/B ratio of 8.88 is higher than the sector average of 4.19. The company's shares are currently trading 313.9% below their Graham number. Ultimately, Alphabet's strong cash flows, decent earnings multiple, and healthy debt levels factor towards it being fairly valued, its elevated P/B ratio notwithstanding.

Alphabet Has an Analyst Consensus of Some Upside Potential:

The 54 analysts following Alphabet have set target prices ranging from $185.0 to $360.0 per share, for an average of $318.24 with a buy rating. The company is trading -10.6% away from its average target price, indicating that there is an analyst consensus of some upside potential.

Alphabet has a very low short interest because 1.2% of the company's shares are sold short. Institutions own 81.3% of the company's shares, and the insider ownership rate stands at 0.57%, suggesting a small amount of insider investors. The largest shareholder is Vanguard Group Inc, whose 9% stake in the company is worth $146,921,335,461.

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.

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