TLDR

Alphabet stock is trading near $309.69, about 11.6% below its February peak of ~$350.33
Q4 2025 revenue came in at $113.8 billion, up ~18% year-on-year, beating estimates of $111.4 billion
Full-year 2025 revenue hit $403 billion — the first time Alphabet has topped $400 billion annually
Alphabet announced a heavy 2026 capex plan focused on AI infrastructure, which has weighed on sentiment
Analyst consensus sits at Strong Buy, with an average 12-month price target of ~$351.82, implying ~16.9% upside

Alphabet’s stock has slipped below the $300 support level as a wave of global selling hit markets on Monday. The broader pressure stems from escalating tensions in the Middle East, which rattled Asian markets and set a negative tone heading into the US open.

Alphabet Inc., GOOGL

Japan’s Nikkei dropped around 1,800 points. India’s Sensex fell 1,750 points and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 950 points.

The sell-off is hitting tech stocks hard. Alphabet (GOOG) is one of the names feeling the pressure, with its price now sitting below the $300 level that had been acting as support.

This comes after a rough few weeks for the stock. It was already down roughly 11.6% from its February peak of around $350.33, when it had rallied following a strong Q4 earnings report.

That Q4 report was genuinely solid. Revenue came in at $113.8 billion, up about 18% year-on-year and ahead of analyst expectations near $111.4 billion.

Full-year 2025 revenue landed at $403 billion — a 15% increase and the first time Alphabet has ever crossed the $400 billion annual revenue mark. Operating income grew double digits, margins held in the low-30% range, and diluted EPS came in at around $2.82.

Search and Google Cloud led the way. Both segments contributed to the broad-based strength management highlighted on the earnings call.

Capex Plans Weigh on Sentiment

Despite the strong numbers, the market’s mood shifted when Alphabet laid out its 2026 capital expenditure plan. The company is committing heavily to AI infrastructure and data center buildout, and that elevated spending has been a sticking point for investors since the earnings release.

The combination of higher capex and ongoing antitrust scrutiny in both the US and EU has kept a lid on the stock’s recovery after its post-earnings pop.

Technically, the setup is mixed. Short-term moving averages are still supportive, but longer-dated averages sit above the current price. The 14-day RSI is near 49.8 — roughly neutral, with no strong directional signal.

There’s also been active call-option trading recently, with traders concentrating on strikes around $302.50 expiring in early March. That suggests some traders are still positioning for upside, even through the volatility.

Analyst Targets Hold Firm

Analyst sentiment hasn’t wavered much. StockAnalysis shows 44 analysts with a consensus Strong Buy rating and an average 12-month price target of $351.82 — implying about 16.9% upside from current levels.

MarketBeat’s data shows roughly 34 Buy ratings and 10 Hold ratings from 48 analysts tracked, landing on a Moderate Buy label overall. No analysts have a Sell rating on the stock.

Individual price target moves have also been upward. President Capital raised its target from $323 to $375, reiterating Buy. J.P. Morgan kept its Buy rating with a $395 target on GOOGL Class C shares.

On the product side, Alphabet is expanding Gemini’s reach. Reports indicate Google’s Gemini 3.0 could be used to power services for Meta after Meta’s internal AI model reportedly failed internal testing.

Alphabet also extended Gemini to Apple’s Siri platform, further embedding its AI across third-party ecosystems.

As of Monday’s session, GOOG was trading near $309.69, caught between macro sell-off pressure and a generally positive fundamental picture.

The post Alphabet (GOOGL) Stock Drops 13% From All-Time High — Time to Buy the Dip? appeared first on CoinCentral.

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Filed under: News - @ March 23, 2026 10:25 am