Key Research Findings for Alphabet, IBM, and Merck
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Sep 16 2025
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Source: NASDAQ.COM
Zacks Research Daily Highlights: The report features research on 16 major stocks, including Alphabet, IBM, and Merck, along with micro-cap stocks SandRidge Energy and NeurAxis, emphasizing unique insights into smaller companies.
Alphabet's Performance: Alphabet's shares have outperformed the industry, driven by growth in Google Cloud and advancements in AI, despite ongoing litigation requiring data sharing with rivals.
IBM's Growth Strategy: IBM is focusing on its Watsonx platform and hybrid cloud solutions, but faces challenges from declining consulting sales and macroeconomic pressures.
Merck's Sales Dynamics: Merck's sales are bolstered by its Keytruda drug, despite facing competitive pressures and challenges in the Chinese market, while also pursuing M&A to enhance its pipeline.
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Analyst Views on GOOG
Wall Street analysts forecast GOOG stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for GOOG is 336.08 USD with a low forecast of 255.00 USD and a high forecast of 400.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
15 Analyst Rating
14 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 336.280
Low
255.00
Averages
336.08
High
400.00
Current: 336.280
Low
255.00
Averages
336.08
High
400.00
About GOOG
Alphabet Inc. is a holding company. The Company's segments include Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets. The Google Services segment includes products and services such as ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Google Maps, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. The Google Cloud segment includes infrastructure and platform services, collaboration tools, and other services for enterprise customers. Its Other Bets segment is engaged in the sale of healthcare-related services and Internet services. Its Google Cloud provides enterprise-ready cloud services, including Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace. Google Cloud Platform provides access to solutions such as artificial intelligence (AI) offerings, including its AI infrastructure, Vertex AI platform, and Gemini for Google Cloud; cybersecurity, and data and analytics. Google Workspace includes cloud-based communication and collaboration tools for enterprises, such as Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Meet.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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