On January 22, 2026, Wall Street acknowledged Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOGL) strong performance through 2025 by raising the already bullish ‘Outperform' – ‘Buy' – rating to ‘Strong Buy.'
Google stock (NASDAQ: GOOGL) experienced a rise of 65%, in the past year, driven by impressive revenue and margin improvements, but the real narrative is centered around its competitive advantage in AI, flourishing Google Cloud partnerships, and positive regulatory environment—all paving the way for thrilling announcements that investors should not overlook. Also, look at – Google Stock Delivers $350 Billion To Shareholders
Australia's social media ban has been in the spotlight as governments globally consider implementing similar policies. "This is a global issue, and governments everywhere are under pressure to respond," Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of U.K.-based grassroots organization Smartphone Free Childhood, told CNBC.
Australia banned social media apps for under 16s in December, and, a month later, there's been a mixed reaction from teens, experts and tech firms. As many teens find ways to circumvent the law, major tech firms are pushing back against the Australian government.
Access to energy is one of the biggest bottlenecks to the AI race. Big Tech companies have been on an energy-related hiring spree as they get to grips with the market.
With a 65% increase in 2025, Google stock (NASDAQ: GOOGL) emerged as the highest-performing MAG 7 stock, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's 16% increase. Looking back to early 2024 reveals an even more impressive scenario: the stock has soared 135% since that time.
Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) opened 2026 on a strong note, rising to a new all-time high of $330 on January 8, a day after being dubbed the king of all AI stocks by Cantor Fitzgerald. Now, yet another analyst is hyping GOOGL stock up.
Not only has Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) stock been among the best-performing blue-chip assets in 2025, but its shares are overwhelmingly expected to continue rallying in 2026, according to Wall Street analysts.
The first week of 2026 showcased that Wall Street analysts remain decisively bullish about Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) stock in the coming 12 months. Specifically, the four major rating revisions assigned to Google's shares have all been positive and forecast the equity will rally up to 21% in the next 52 weeks.
Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Google's parent company, enters 2026 with renewed investor interest following a strong rebound driven largely by artificial intelligence (AI).
Over the past ten years, Google stock (NASDAQ: GOOGL) has delivered a staggering $357 billion back to its investors through cash, in the form of dividends and stock buybacks. Separately, see –What's Happening With Oracle Stock?
A year ago, the narrative was simple: OpenAI would eat Google's lunch. ChatGPT was the future of search, and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) was a lumbering giant about to be disrupted.