The Justice Department is reportedly investigating Alphabet’s (GOOG, Financial) Google for possible antitrust violations related to an agreement with Character.AI, a company that specializes in artificial intelligence technology. Sources have indicated that antitrust officials are scrutinizing whether Google structured this agreement to bypass formal regulatory scrutiny typically required in mergers. A Google representative stated that the company is open to addressing regulators' inquiries. The spokesperson clarified in an email that while Google is pleased that talent from Character.AI has joined their team, the company does not own any stake in Character.AI, which continues to operate independently. This development suggests ongoing regulatory attention on Google's business practices in the AI sector.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast
Based on the one-year price targets offered by 18 analysts, the average target price for Alphabet Inc (GOOG, Financial) is $201.56 with a high estimate of $225.00 and a low estimate of $185.00. The average target implies an upside of 14.89% from the current price of $175.43. More detailed estimate data can be found on the Alphabet Inc (GOOG) Forecast page.
Based on the consensus recommendation from 22 brokerage firms, Alphabet Inc's (GOOG, Financial) average brokerage recommendation is currently 1.6, indicating "Outperform" status. The rating scale ranges from 1 to 5, where 1 signifies Strong Buy, and 5 denotes Sell.
Based on GuruFocus estimates, the estimated GF Value for Alphabet Inc (GOOG, Financial) in one year is $198.21, suggesting a upside of 12.99% from the current price of $175.43. GF Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value that the stock should be traded at. It is calculated based on the historical multiples the stock has traded at previously, as well as past business growth and the future estimates of the business' performance. More detailed data can be found on the Alphabet Inc (GOOG) Summary page.
