Alphabet (GOOGL)’s stock is experiencing a slight pullback in price, down 2.3% in the last five days. GOOGL has performed well in 2026 so far, up over 4% since January 1. Hence, the slight dip in price this week isn’t worrying investors too much. In fact, it could be a small opportunity for interested buyers who want to capitalize on GOOGL’s growing strength.
The dip that GOOGL felt early this week was felt throughout most of the stock market. When headlines on trade or policy drop, traders tend to jump on the biggest, most liquid tech stocks right away, then figure out the details afterward. This week served as a reminder. Much of the price movement isn’t driven by Google search trends or YouTube performance on any single day, but rather by investors’ appetite for “risk” and its scale. Thus, there is no concern over Alphabet’s success, which is expected to continue.
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One of the biggest catalysts that has been discussed for GOOGL stock in 2026 has been the growth of Alphabet’s Waymo. Waymo, part of Alphabet, began in 2009 as an in-house startup within Google’s X initiative and officially became Waymo in 2016. With Tesla (TSLA) dominating the robotaxi sphere in the last few years, Waymo has quietly caught on in several states in the US. Entering 2026, both Tesla and Waymo are expected to continue their expansion across the country. Should Waymo prove to be a big hit in 2026, Alphabet’s market capitalization and revenue could boom.
Furthermore, Upcoming earnings reports from major tech firms, including Google, are expected to shed light on AI spending trends amid market volatility. Analysts suggest that Google’s continued AI spending still yields profitable potential. As a result, forecasts remain up, making now a solid buy opportunity. Wedbush and Guggenheim suggest potential upside with price targets of $350 and $375, respectively. On the flip side. Rosenblatt and DA Davidson are more conservative with Neutral ratings and targets at $279 and $300