Major Analyst Recommendations for Thursday: Nvidia, Apple, Meta, Coinbase, Alphabet, Nike, CSX, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Others
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Sep 18 2025
0mins
Source: CNBC
Wall Street Upgrades: RBC upgraded Nike and CSX to outperform, citing improvements in Nike's turnaround and CSX's attractive positioning in consolidation scenarios. Goldman Sachs upgraded StepStone Group to buy, highlighting its benefits from wealth growth in private markets.
New Initiations and Ratings: Roth initiated coverage on GrabAGun Digital as a buy, while Barclays initiated BeOne Medicines as overweight. William Blair initiated Credo as outperform, emphasizing its role in AI connectivity solutions.
Downgrades and Concerns: UBS downgraded Dropbox and Box, expressing concerns over demand and limited upside. Wells Fargo downgraded Progressive to equal weight due to worries about slowing growth.
Positive Outlooks: Analysts reiterated positive ratings for companies like Meta, Coinbase, and Apple, with expectations for growth driven by new products and market conditions. BTIG initiated Abercrombie & Fitch as a buy, forecasting multi-year growth opportunities.
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Analyst Views on GOOG
Wall Street analysts forecast GOOG stock price to fall
15 Analyst Rating
14 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 353.320
Low
255.00
Averages
336.08
High
400.00
Current: 353.320
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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- Capital Expenditure Expectations: Alphabet's projected capital expenditures for 2026 are around $170 billion, while operating cash flow over the past 12 months was $175 billion, suggesting that the company faces funding pressures as it expands its AI capabilities and needs to raise funds in advance to meet future spending.
- Equity Financing Strategy: By opting for equity rather than debt financing, Alphabet plans to sell approximately 2% of its shares, a strategy that helps minimize dilution while maintaining financial flexibility to address the escalating costs of AI development in a high stock price environment.
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- Capital Expenditure Expectations: Alphabet's projected capital expenditures for 2026 are around $170 billion, while operating cash flow over the past 12 months was $175 billion, suggesting that the company faces funding pressures as it expands its AI capabilities and needs to raise funds in advance to meet future spending.
- Equity Financing Strategy: By opting for equity rather than debt financing, Alphabet plans to sell approximately 2% of its shares, a strategy that helps minimize dilution while maintaining financial flexibility to address the escalating costs of AI development in a high stock price environment.
- Market Competition Dynamics: Alphabet's financing move contrasts with other companies like Anthropic, which raised $6.5 billion, highlighting the surging demand for computing power in the AI sector, and suggesting that Alphabet's actions may influence its competitive position in a rapidly evolving market.
See More
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- Data Center Leasing Agreements: The company has signed over a dozen preliminary agreements to lease US data centers with a combined capacity exceeding 1 gigawatt, enhancing its computing capabilities and reducing reliance on competitors.
- Google's Financial Backing: Anthropic is reportedly discussing an arrangement where Google would guarantee lease payments, with Google committing up to $40 billion, further entrenching their collaborative relationship.
- AI Market Competition: Anthropic competes directly with Google's Gemini in AI assistants and enterprise software, and Google's support not only aids Anthropic's growth but also helps prevent OpenAI from monopolizing the enterprise AI market.
See More
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- Funding Context: Alphabet announced it is raising $80 billion, with $10 billion coming from Berkshire Hathaway, highlighting the company's increasing need for capital to support its AI expansion, despite projected capital expenditures of $170 billion in 2026.
- Equity Financing Strategy: By opting for equity rather than debt, Alphabet plans to sell about 2% of its shares, a low-dilution approach that helps maintain financial flexibility while capitalizing on the current stock price advantage.
- Market Competition Dynamics: In the AI sector, Alphabet faces competitive pressure from other major cloud companies that are also ramping up investments to meet market demand, and this funding initiative is viewed as a strategic move to address that competition.
- Future Investment Outlook: Although current expenditures are not immediately translating into revenue, Alphabet's investments are seen as paving the way for future growth, particularly in the context of rapidly evolving AI technologies, with long-term return potential still regarded positively.
See More
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- User Interaction Enhancement: The new format allows users to directly contact realtors when searching for homes, supporting calls, messages, or appointments, streamlining the home-buying process and expected to attract more high-intent clients, boosting potential earnings for realtors.
- Partnership Strengthening: Property listings are powered by housing data platform HouseCanary, ensuring the accuracy and appeal of ad content, further enhancing Google's competitive position in the real estate market.
- Market Competition Impact: Google's expansion is weighing on competitors like Zillow and CoStar, with shares down approximately 4%, demonstrating Google's significant influence in the real estate advertising sector.
See More
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- Importance of Platform Control: The rise of Alphabet and Amazon in the autonomous ride-share sector indicates that platform control may be more critical than the technology itself, which will influence future market dynamics and competitive strategies.
- Value of Partnerships: By establishing strategic partnerships, these companies have enhanced their competitiveness in the ride-share market, highlighting the growing importance of collaboration in a technology-driven industry.
- Impact of Unit Economics: Optimizing unit economics in the ride-share business model will directly affect profitability, and the involvement of Alphabet and Amazon may drive improvements in industry standards.
- Competition Beyond Technology: As autonomous driving technology matures, factors such as platform control, partnerships, and economic models will become key determinants of market winners, potentially altering traditional competitive logic.
See More
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- Strong Investment Demand: With approximately $250 billion in investment capital seeking shares, the IPO is nearly 4 times oversubscribed, indicating robust market interest that could lead to a price surge on the first trading day, enhancing the company's market presence.
- Diversified Business Growth: Beyond rocket launches, SpaceX's Starlink internet service is projected to generate $11.4 billion in revenue by 2025, growing at 50% year-over-year, while contracts with Anthropic and Alphabet could elevate its AI segment to $26 billion in annual revenue, showcasing rapid business expansion potential.
- Caution for Investors: Despite potential initial gains, SpaceX's price-to-sales ratio stands at 93, and it remains unprofitable; historical trends indicate that most IPO stocks underperform in the three years following their debut, prompting investors to approach future returns with caution.
See More
