NEW YORK, Jan 9, 2026, 10:37 EST — Regular session
- Alphabet’s Class C stock climbed around 1% in morning action following an upgrade from Cantor Fitzgerald.
- EU regulators have marked Feb. 10 as the decision date for Google’s $32 billion takeover of Wiz.
- Alphabet will release its fourth-quarter and full-year results on Feb. 4.
Alphabet Inc’s Class C shares (GOOG) jumped 1.2% Friday morning, tacking on $4.06 to reach $330.07. A fresh brokerage upgrade built on recent deal flow and upbeat earnings news from the Google parent.
Alphabet’s heading into February facing two immediate headaches: shareholders are looking for hard evidence its AI efforts will boost the top line, while regulators haven’t stopped eyeing major tech acquisitions. The stock already surged in 2025—so at this point, disappointing financials or additional legal trouble could hit harder.
Alphabet announced plans for a conference call on Feb. 4 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific (4:30 p.m. Eastern), where executives will review fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results. Earnings will be released ahead of the call.
Cantor Fitzgerald bumped up Alphabet to “overweight” from “neutral” and also raised its price target, now looking for $370 instead of the earlier $310. That means Cantor’s betting on the stock to outperform and sees higher ground ahead. Analyst Deepak Mathivanan, in the note, dubbed Alphabet the “king of all AI trades,” citing its exposure in search, cloud, and the consumer app space. MarketWatch
Regulators in Europe are up next, with a decision on Alphabet’s $32 billion move for cybersecurity outfit Wiz on the horizon. Per a European Commission posting, antitrust officials have set a Feb. 10 deadline to rule on whether to approve what would be Alphabet’s largest acquisition. The Commission could give the green light, push for remedies, or — if competition issues arise — escalate to an in-depth probe.
Still, the rally shines a light on the flip side: risks escalate as AI speeds up and spreads. Google and Character.AI have settled a Florida lawsuit over the suicide of a 14-year-old boy—a rare U.S. case pressing claims of psychological harm from AI chatbots. Details of the agreement stayed private.
Alphabet shares moved up as well, tracking broader gains: the S&P 500 tracker, SPY, rose roughly 0.4%, while tech-focused QQQ tacked on about 0.5%.
Next up is Feb. 4, with Alphabet’s earnings and outlook expected to steer market sentiment in the short term. Then, on Feb. 10, the EU is set to issue its Wiz decision—a moment that could spark a broader antitrust battle or simply lose steam.
