Honestly, if you’d told most traders a year ago that Google’s parent company, Alphabet, would be sitting on a $4 trillion market cap by January 2026, they probably would’ve laughed you out of the room. At the start of 2025, the narrative was all about how Google was "falling behind" in the AI race. Fast forward to now, and it’s been the standout winner of the Magnificent Seven.
So, let’s get straight to the numbers for today, Sunday, January 18, 2026. Since the markets are closed for the weekend, we’re looking at Friday’s closing figures.
What is google stock price today? Alphabet Inc. Class A (GOOGL) finished the week at $330.00, slipping about 0.84% on Friday. Its sibling, Class C (GOOG), ended at $330.39. It was a bit of a breather for the stock, which has been on an absolute tear lately. Earlier this month, on January 8, it actually hit an all-time intraday high of roughly $330.54 after Cantor Fitzgerald dubbed it the "king of all AI trades."
It’s wild. Two-word sentences don't usually capture the magnitude of a 65% jump in a single year, but here we are. Alphabet isn't just a search engine anymore; it's a massive AI infrastructure play.
Why the Market Is Obsessed With Alphabet Right Now
You’ve probably seen the headlines about the Apple and Walmart deals. Those are the big needle-movers. On January 11, Walmart announced they were integrating Gemini—Google’s powerhouse AI model—into their shopping experience. Then, just a day later, Google confirmed a multi-year deal with Apple to use Gemini technology for Apple Intelligence features, including a massive Siri upgrade.
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When the two biggest players in retail and mobile tech choose your AI to power their future, investors notice. It basically silenced the critics who thought Google was a "has-been" compared to OpenAI or Microsoft.
But it’s not just about the partnerships. The fundamentals are actually pretty staggering. In the last reported quarter (Q3 2025), Alphabet pulled in $102.3 billion in revenue. That was the first time they ever cracked the $100 billion ceiling in a single quarter.
The breakdown of that money is key:
- Google Search: Still the cash cow, bringing in over $56 billion.
- Google Cloud: This is the real growth engine, jumping 34% to over $15 billion.
- Advertising: YouTube and Search combined are still dominating, despite everyone saying TikTok would kill them.
The Reality of What Is Google Stock Price Today
When you look at a price tag of $330, it’s easy to feel like you missed the boat. But valuation-wise, Alphabet is actually "cheaper" than most of its peers. Even at these record highs, it’s trading at less than 30 times forward earnings. Compare that to some other tech giants trading at 40x or 50x, and you start to see why firms like Bank of Nova Scotia recently hiked their price targets to $375.
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There’s a lot of "smart money" moving in, too. Last year, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway reportedly dumped nearly $5 billion into the stock. That’s a massive vote of confidence for a company that was supposed to be under threat from generative search.
The Risks Nobody Likes to Talk About
It’s not all sunshine and trillion-dollar milestones. The DOJ is still breathing down their neck. There is a real, lingering threat that Google could be forced to divest parts of its business—like the Chrome browser or its ad-tech suite—to satisfy antitrust regulators.
Plus, the costs are astronomical. Alphabet’s CFO, Anat Ashkenazi, recently hinted that capital expenditures (CapEx) for 2026 will be significantly higher as they build out more data centers. We’re talking about a company that spent over $90 billion on hardware and infrastructure in 2025 alone. If those AI investments don’t start showing clear profit margins soon, the market might lose its patience.
What the Analysts Are Saying for 2026
If you’re wondering where this goes from here, the consensus is still "Buy," but with a side of caution. Out of 40 analysts recently tracked, about 88% have a "Buy" or "Strong Buy" rating.
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Here is what the landscape looks like for the coming months:
- The Bull Case: Continued Gemini integration into the Android ecosystem and higher Cloud margins could push the stock toward $380 by year-end.
- The Bear Case: Regulatory setbacks or a slowdown in ad spending could see the price retreat toward the $310 range.
- The Earnings Catalyst: Everyone is waiting for February 4, 2026. That’s when Alphabet reports its Q4 2025 and full-year results. That call will set the tone for the rest of the spring.
It’s kinda fascinating to see a company this large move like a startup. Most people get wrong the idea that Google is just "stable." Right now, it’s a high-growth AI stock that happens to own the world’s most profitable billboard (Search).
Actionable Steps for Investors
If you are tracking the stock or considering a position, here is how to handle the current volatility:
- Watch the $328 level: This has acted as a recent support point. If it dips below that, we might see a more significant correction.
- Mark February 4 on your calendar: This is the next major volatility event. Expect big swings after the closing bell that day.
- Differentiate your classes: Remember that GOOGL (Class A) gives you voting rights, while GOOG (Class C) does not. Usually, they trade within a few cents of each other, but if you care about shareholder votes, stick with Class A.
- Monitor the CapEx numbers: When the earnings report drops, don't just look at revenue. Look at how much they are spending on AI chips. If the spending outpaces revenue growth too quickly, the "cheap" valuation might disappear.
Alphabet has proved it can survive the AI hype cycle. Now, it just has to prove it can stay at the top of a $4 trillion mountain. Keep an eye on those Gemini partnership rollouts throughout the rest of January; they are the best indicator of where the stock is headed next.