Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) Stock Price, News, Quote & History

The S&P 500 just delivered an impressive April, up 10.5%, before dividends. If the track record holds, the positive trend may continue for the next few weeks. The stock market typically rises in May, on average up 1.1% and with a 72% winning percentage. We note that market returns in May have exceeded 5% on seven occasions since 1980, including a 6.9% gain last year. Still, there have been some clunkers in May, including 2019 (a painful 6.6% drop), 2010 (an 8.2% value wipeout), 2012 (down 6.0%) and 1984 (off by 5.9%). May begins as a busy month on Wall Street, as companies report earnings and the Non-farm Payrolls report is released. But once the retailers wrap up their results in the middle of the month, investors this year will be left to ponder the war in the Middle East, inflation trends, future Federal Reserve activity, the risk of recession, and the long Memorial Day weekend. Looking ahead, our platform for stocks in 2026 has been bullish, as we have expected the economy to grow (check), interest rates to decline (check), and earnings to expand at a double-digit rate (check). The wild card has been the war. Stocks are coming off three double-digit return years (from 2023 through 2025) and a possible pause in the rally is not unexpected in 2026, especially as it is a midterm election year. End of day, given the geopolitics-driven volatility in the markets, we recommend a continued focus on quality stocks with strong earnings trends.

Alphabet maintains the largest online index of websites accessible through automated search technology. It generates revenue through online advertising, cloud services, and consumer devices. Google is an operating segment of Alphabet. The company was founded in 1998 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page and went public in 2004. Google’s AdWords is an auction-based program that lets businesses display ads along with particular search results. Google’s AdSense program enables websites in the company’s network to serve targeted ads, based on search terms or web content, from AdWords advertisers. Most of the revenue generated through AdSense is shared with network partners. In addition, Alphabet owns YouTube.com, the web-based video site. It has expanded into mobile telephony with its Android smartphone operating system, into cloud services, and most recently, into autonomous driving. About 52% of Alphabet’s revenue is generated outside the U.S.

It’s a new month, but the song remains the same for stocks, with shares generally higher at midday on Friday, albeit by modest amounts. Substantive headlines out of the Middle East are in short supply based on a seemingly bogged-down conflict. Still, oil prices are moving lower today on hopes that a resolution will be reached at some point and without further fighting. Meanwhile, earnings reports are getting their usual amount of attention. And the news has been generally good, especially from tech companies that have suffered at times this year based on bubble fears.

Alphabet is a holding company that wholly owns internet giant Google. The California-based company derives slightly less than 90% of its revenue from Google services, the vast majority of which is advertising sales. Alongside online ads, Google services houses sales stemming from Google’s subscription services (YouTube TV and YouTube Music, among others), platforms (sales and in-app purchases on Play Store), and devices (Chromebooks, Pixel smartphones, and smart home products such as Chromecast). Google’s cloud computing platform accounts for roughly 10% of Alphabet’s revenue. The firm’s investments in up-and-coming technologies such as self-driving cars (Waymo), health (Verily), and internet access (Google Fiber) make up the rest.