The Google corporate logo and Google Cloud logo stand outside Google offices in Germany.
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Alphabet shares were ticking higher Wednesday, even after Google’s parent company received its lowest price target yet.
KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Justin Patterson slashed his price target for Alphabet (ticker: GOOGL
) to $3,075 from $3,400 — a new Wall Street low. Patterson maintained an Overweight rating on the stock, explaining that the price target cut stemmed from a more conservative take on the analyst’s sum-of-the-parts framework given macroeconomic headwinds.
“We expect another volatile advertising earnings season as inflation and macro pressures weigh on advertising budgets,” Patterson wrote Wednesday.
Despite the price target cut, Alphabet remains one of Patterson’s top picks within the sector. Advertisers with diverse advertising verticals, high U.S. exposure, low small and medium-sized business concentration, and proven return on investment should hold up better in this environment, the analyst wrote. Given these criteria, Google is well-positioned to hedge the risks, Patterson wrote.
For example, headwinds from Europe and YouTube could be offset by a stronger forecast for search advertising revenue, he wrote. In addition, search advertising has higher margins, prompting Patterson to raise his earnings per share estimate by between 4% and 5% each year.
Alphabet reports earnings next week. The stock was up 0.9% to $2,622 on Wednesday. The shares have lost 10% this year.
Write to Sabrina Escobar at [email protected]
