All articles tagged with #googl
A rising wave of local resistance and power constraints threatens AI data-center expansion in the U.S., potentially slowing capacity growth for Nvidia, Microsoft, and Alphabet as towns block or delay projects and costs rise, even as AI remains a major growth theme and the big players maintain strong balance sheets.
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman says Pershing Square’s sale of Alphabet shares was not a bearish bet against Google, but a capital reallocation to finance a new MSFT stake. The move suggests Microsoft looked more attractive on price and timing, while Ackman remains bullish on Alphabet for the long term, signaling a relative-value shift rather than a negative view on Google.
Alphabet is reportedly exploring its first Japanese yen-denominated bond issue to diversify funding for its growing AI investments. The potential sale would likely be senior unsecured bonds and depends on market conditions, with Mizuho, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley leading the mandate. The move follows sizable recent bond issuances and a raised AI-capex outlook, while GOOGL stock trades slightly lower in premarket trading and analysts remain broadly positive.
Big Tech’s AI-driven capex spree is under the microscope as Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon prepare earnings. Investors want concrete evidence that heavy investments in data centers, GPUs, and AI services translate into sustainable revenue and profit, with key focal points including Azure growth and Copilot for MSFT, Google Cloud margins and a $70B backlog for GOOGL, Meta’s shift to proprietary AI (MTIA 450) and its high-margin ad tech, and AWS momentum plus Trainium3 for AMZN.
Ahead of Alphabet’s Q1 2026 report on April 29, ownership data shows public investors hold 50.72% of GOOGL, with mutual funds 21.61%, ETFs 21.08%, insiders 6.36%, and others 0.22%. Vanguard is the largest holder at 7.72%, with 6.82% in Vanguard Index Funds; top ETF owners include VTI (3.16%), VOO (2.57%), and IVV (1.28%). Mutual funds hold 6.82% in Vanguard Index Funds and 1.75% in Fidelity Concord Street Trust. The stock carries a Strong Buy consensus with a $387.68 average target (~12.6% upside); Q1 EPS is expected at $2.63 on revenue of about $106.89 billion. Analysts point to Alphabet’s AI, cloud, and TPU momentum supporting upside potential.
Alphabet’s early stake in SpaceX could yield a $100B+ windfall if SpaceX’s June IPO values the company near $2 trillion. Google owned about 6.11% of SpaceX at end-2025 (roughly $122B), now around 5% after the xAI merger, still implying massive upside as SpaceX eyes up to $75B in what would be the largest IPO ever. If realized, early investors could see billionaire-level gains, while GOOG/GOOGL remain rated Strong Buy with roughly 14.8% upside to a $385.46 price target.
Alphabet (GOOGL) unveiled a new cookie-protection feature called Device Bound Session Credentials for Chrome, using Windows’ TPM and macOS’ Secure Enclave to generate a non-exportable key pair and issue short-lived session cookies only after proving the private key to the server, aiming to stop malware from hijacking sessions as AI and other online threats grow. The move aligns with Alphabet’s cybersecurity priorities while the stock remains favored by analysts, with a consensus Strong Buy and a target around $377.90 (~19% upside).
Micron (MU) and SanDisk (SNDK) opened lower Monday with no company-specific news, as investors priced in weaker memory-demand expectations after Google’s TurboQuant AI-memory compression. MU is down about 8% and SNDK about 7%, with a five-day drop over 17%. Despite the selloff, analysts remain largely bullish: Morgan Stanley’s Joseph Moore reiterates Buy on both names with targets around $520 for MU and $690 for SNDK, noting TurboQuant affects only KV Cache memory, not overall memory. Other voices dismiss the pullback, arguing the sector’s up–side remains intact. TipRanks’ comparisons also point MU having higher upside than SNDK (roughly 58% vs 17.7%).
Micron (MU) and SanDisk (SNDK) slid in pre-market trading after Google unveiled TurboQuant, an AI-memory compression tech that could reduce memory demand; MU fell about 7% and SNDK about 11%, with peers WDC and STX also down as the sector weighs potential weaker DRAM/NAND demand. Analysts are split on the impact: KC Rajkumar sees limited 3–5 year demand destruction and maintains a MU price target around $700, while Andrew Rocha cautions that AI memory needs could shrink demand if adoption is rapid. TipRanks data suggest MU has the strongest upside among major memory names, making the recent drop a potential buying opportunity for some investors.
Meta Platforms’ stock fell about 4% after reports that its Avocado AI model launch is delayed to May and lags rivals; analysts say the setback is a temporary hiccup in a crowded AI race, as Meta maintains hefty AI investments and a longer-term growth plan, with a Strong Buy consensus and upside potential around $858.86.
Microsoft says commercial quantum machines could be in data centers by the end of the decade, with 2029 tasks that classical computers cannot perform, emphasizing a hybrid role rather than replacement. The stance signals long‑term upside for MSFT’s cloud/AI platform, while IonQ, Amazon, and Alphabet may benefit from cloud access and tools; near‑term stock moves are unlikely as quantum-driven data-center demand could emerge in the early 2030s, with QBTS and RGTI used as comparables.
Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet posted December-quarter results with AI-related capex driving cloud expansion: MSFT highlighted Azure growth and OpenAI partnerships, AMZN emphasized AWS capacity and AI silicon investments, and Alphabet showed Google Cloud backlog and margins improving. Analysts still rate all three as Strong Buys, with MSFT offering the highest upside and the lowest P/E, making it the preferred value pick among the hyperscalers.
Nvidia shares rose about 8% after CEO Jensen Huang argued on CNBC that AI-related capex by major tech firms is necessary and sustainable, driven by a massive infrastructure buildout for AI. He pointed to growing cash flows and rising demand for computing power, with hyperscalers like Meta, Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft potentially spending up to $660 billion on capex this year, much of it on AI infrastructure and Nvidia chips. Analysts show a Strong Buy consensus with an average target near $260, implying roughly 40% upside.
Alphabet posted solid fourth-quarter results, with Google Cloud revenue up 48% year over year and margins improving, but it forecast 2026 capital expenditures of $175–$185 billion—far above consensus around $115 billion—indicating a heavy investment push into cloud/AI that pressured the stock.
TipRanks notes Alphabet (GOOG) landed a street-high $400 price target ahead of its Q4 report, with Jefferies' Brent Thill saying AI leadership and solid fundamentals could propel shares higher even as the stock trades at a premium; Buy ratings prevail, and cloud/AI catalysts, along with ad momentum, point to upside into 2026.