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Investing.com - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), currently trading near its 52-week high at $235, received a €2.95 billion fine from the European Commission on September 5 for alleged anticompetitive practices in its digital advertising business. The tech giant maintains strong financial health, with InvestingPro data showing more cash than debt on its balance sheet.
The European Commission concluded that Google abused its market dominance by favoring its own ad exchange (AdX) and publisher ad server (Google Ad Manager). The ruling requires Alphabet to halt these practices and submit a compliance plan by November 4. Despite regulatory challenges, the company maintains robust financials with a healthy current ratio of 1.9 and revenue growth of ~13% over the last twelve months.
Cantor Fitzgerald maintained its Neutral rating on Alphabet stock with a price target of $201.00 following the announcement. The investment firm noted this represents the fourth major fine the European Commission has imposed on the company.
The case began escalating in June 2023 when the Commission issued a statement of objections, formally outlining its preliminary view that Google’s conduct violated competition rules. The statement gave the company an opportunity to respond before the final decision was reached.
Alphabet is expected to accrue the fine in its quarterly financial statements while pursuing an appeal to the EU’s General Court, consistent with its handling of previous European Commission penalties. The company has already indicated its intent to appeal, with one previous fine overturned and two others currently under review. According to InvestingPro, which offers comprehensive analysis through its Pro Research Report covering 1,400+ US stocks, Alphabet’s stock is currently trading near its Fair Value, with strong momentum shown by a 56% return over the past year.
In other recent news, Alphabet Inc. reported that the European Commission has imposed a €2.95 billion fine on its subsidiary, Google LLC, for violating European competition laws related to advertising technology practices. The company plans to appeal the ruling and will record the fine as an accrual in its financial statements for the third quarter of 2025. In a separate development, Evercore ISI raised its price target for Alphabet stock to $300, citing the company’s strong position in commercial-intent search use cases. Similarly, Tigress Financial Partners increased their price target to $280, highlighting Alphabet’s AI-driven growth and a favorable regulatory decision regarding Chrome. Additionally, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a $150 million investment in AI education during a White House event, part of a larger $1 billion commitment. This funding includes $3 million for Code.org and $2 million for the Flourish Fund. These developments reflect ongoing activities and strategic initiatives at Alphabet.
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