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Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Now the Time to Buy Alphabet?
Key Points Alphabet shares have struggled this year, but they got a boost after strong second-quarter earnings. The company's Q2 revenue, net income, and EPS have all risen year over year, but so have capital expenditures. Management is investing heavily in artificial intelligence, which has been a key factor in its business performance. 10 stocks we like better than Alphabet › Shares of Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) have delivered lackluster performance this year. The stock is up less than 2% through July 31. Contrast this to digital advertising and AI rival Meta Platforms, which saw shares jump over 30% in that time. However, after its second-quarter earnings report beat Wall Street expectations, Alphabet stock began to climb and is hovering not far from the 52-week high of $207.05 set in February. The recent resurgence could signal a turning point. As a result, now is a good time to evaluate whether an investment in Alphabet makes sense. Doing so requires digging into where the tech giant stands today. Alphabet's recent performance Excellent second-quarter results understandably boosted its stock. Revenue was up a strong 14% year over year to $96.4 billion. Net income rose to $28.2 billion, a 19% increase compared to 2024. Consequently, diluted earnings per share (EPS) soared 22% year over year to $2.31, exceeding Wall Street's consensus estimate of $2.18. While this growth is impressive, a key reason to consider investing in Alphabet is its success in artificial intelligence (AI). According to CEO Sundar Pichai, Google's search traffic is growing year over year, "and our new AI experiences significantly contributed to this increase in usage." AI's boost to Google is noteworthy, since the search engine accounted for $54.2 billion of Alphabet's $96.4 billion in second-quarter sales. AI is also benefiting Alphabet's other businesses, such as Google Cloud. That division saw second-quarter revenue rise an impressive 32% year over year to $13.6 billion as customers were drawn to Google Cloud's AI. Artificial intelligence also plays a crucial role in (literally) driving Alphabet's autonomous car service, Waymo. With that technology behind the wheel, it delivers over a quarter-million passenger trips every week. The company is slowly expanding Waymo to more cities. Atlanta is the latest location, initiated in June, adding to places such as Los Angeles and Austin, Texas. Waymo also signed a multiyear deal with Avis in July, as the rental car company expands into ride-hailing services, providing Waymo with operational support, including vehicle maintenance. Factors to consider with an Alphabet investment The company is determined to be a leader in AI. That's why it has made prodigious capital expenditures (capex) to boost its AI infrastructure. The second quarter's $22.4 billion in capex represented the highest sum yet in any given quarter over the past four, and far above the $13.2 billion spent in the prior year's second quarter. Its huge spending left the company with $5.3 billion in second-quarter free cash flow (FCF). While that amount is down from the previous year's $13.2 billion, a single quarter's dip is not a concern. Alphabet has exceptional ability to generate FCF, producing a princely sum of $66.7 billion over the trailing 12 months. The larger issue is that Alphabet was found guilty of antitrust violations in its digital advertising and Google Search businesses. This has been a factor in the tepid performance of its stock. The courts have yet to announce the company's punishment, but once it's made public, the shares are likely to be affected to some degree, depending on the consequences to its business. Management is appealing the rulings, and this could cause the antitrust cases to drag on for years, according to Pichai. As a result, the threat to Alphabet's business isn't immediate. And ultimately, the legal challenges could be resolved with minimal impact, as was the result in a similar antitrust case against Microsoft in 1998, which concluded in a settlement. To buy or not to buy Alphabet shares In weighing whether to invest in Alphabet, one factor to consider is share price valuation. This can be assessed using its stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, especially in comparison to competitors Microsoft and Meta. Both compete with Alphabet in digital advertising, while Microsoft is also a rival in cloud computing. The chart above shows that Alphabet's P/E multiple is the lowest compared to Meta and Microsoft, suggesting its stock is the best value versus the competition. This is underscored by the fact the company's earnings multiple is lower than it's been over the past year, up until President Donald Trump's announcement of tariff policy changes in April sank the entire stock market. Although the antitrust cases present short-term uncertainty, the company's deep pockets and commitment to battling the court rulings can help it navigate these challenges. With strong financials, successful AI initiatives, and an attractive valuation, now is a good time to consider buying shares in Alphabet. Should you invest $1,000 in Alphabet right now? Before you buy stock in Alphabet, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Alphabet wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $624,823!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,064,820!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,019% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 178% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 4, 2025 Robert Izquierdo has positions in Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is Now the Time to Buy Alphabet? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Boston Globe
18 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
A livestream of deep sea creatures transfixes Argentina (and YouTube viewers)
Advertisement 'It was a huge surprise for us,' said expedition leader Daniel Lauretta. 'It's something that fills our hearts because we want to spread the word. Perhaps there are young people who are learning, maybe we're awakening some scientific curiosity.' The vast array of creatures glimpsed via high-definition camera include a placid starfish so orange it evokes Patrick of 'SpongeBob SquarePants' cartoon fame, a sea cucumber reminiscent of a sweet potato, a deep sea crab that looks like a hairy spider. The images have created a sense of collective wonder at the mysteries of the deep sea — and with it, a hearty dose of anthropomorphism as viewers assign zodiac stars to invertebrate and take social media quizzes along the lines of 'Which deep sea creature are you based on how you handle stress?' (If you ignore the world you're a translucent squid, if you explode with anger you're apparently a pistol shrimp). Advertisement Often peaking at 50,000 simultaneous viewers, the livestream began last week and runs everyday until Aug. 10 for up to 10 hours as the scientists map the little-researched submarine gorge off the coast of Buenos Aires, collecting samples and identifying scores of new species. 'The clarity was incredible. The colors, the zoom capability — that really amazed me,' Lauretta said. 'I think that feeling reached the public too.' The project is a collaboration between scientists mostly from Conicet, Argentina's leading scientific funding and research body, and the Schmidt Ocean Institute Foundation, a nonprofit set up by Google's former executive chairman Eric E. Schmidt to advance oceanographic research. The expedition has also inspired pride in Argentine research at a time when Milei is slashing spending on science in a drive to eliminate Argentina's chronic fiscal deficit. Researchers and fellows from Conicet have sought to seize on the attention by calling for a 48-hour nationwide strike Wednesday. 'Argentines are very passionate about everything that happens in Argentina,' said Georgina Valanci, 40, who seemed mesmerized by the livestream while crocheting on Monday. 'I think it represents a bit of the pride that something like this is being done in our country.' Milei dissolved the Ministry of Science and Technology after coming to power in late 2023. Conicet suffered a 21% budget cut in real terms last year. Salaries for Conicet researchers have lost 35% of their value in recent months. Industry estimates show state-funded science and technology organizations losing 3,400 jobs in the last year and a half. Advertisement Each day as the video shows sea stars regenerating arms or amoeba engulfing prey, comments pop up expressing support for Conicet in real time. 'Long live Conicet!' several users posted on Monday.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Google exec's shocking warning: AI will create 15 years of ‘hell' — starting sooner than we think
A former Google executive warned that artificial intelligence will plunge society into more than a decade of severe disruption and hardship as it eliminates many white-collar jobs — and the 'hell' will begin as early as 2027. Mo Gawdat, who left Google X as its chief business officer in 2018 and has become a popular author and public speaker, painted a grim picture of widespread job losses, economic inequality and social chaos from the AI revolution. 'The next 15 years will be hell before we get to heaven,' Gawdat told British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett on his 'Diary of a CEO' podcast on Monday. Gawdat, 58, pointed to his own startup, which builds emotional and relationship-focused artificial intelligence. It is run by three people. 'That startup would have been 350 developers in the past,' he told Bartlett in the interview, first reported by Business Insider. 'As a matter of fact, podcaster is going to be replaced.' Gawdat specifically warned that 'the end of white-collar work' will begin by the late 2020s, representing a fundamental shift in how society operates. Unlike previous technological revolutions that primarily affected manual labor, he argues this wave of automation will target educated professionals and middle-class workers who form the backbone of modern economies. The Egyptian-born tech whiz, who was a millionaire by age 29, believes this massive displacement will create dangerous levels of economic inequality. Without proper government oversight, AI technology will channel unprecedented wealth and influence to those who own or control these systems, while leaving millions of workers struggling to find their place in the new economy, according to Gawdat. Beyond economic concerns, Gawdat anticipates serious social consequences from this rapid transformation. Gawdat said AI will trigger significant 'social unrest' as people grapple with losing their livelihoods and sense of purpose — resulting in rising rates of mental health problems, increased loneliness and deepening social divisions. 'Unless you're in the top 0.1%, you're a peasant,' Gawdat said. 'There is no middle class.' Despite his gloomy predictions, Gawdat said that the period of 'hell' will be followed by a 'utopian' era that would begin after 2040, when workers will be free from doing repetitive and mundane tasks. Instead of being 'focused on consumerism and greed,' humanity could instead be guided by 'love, community, and spiritual development,' according to Gawdat. Gawdat said that it is incumbent on governments, individuals and businesses to take proactive measures such as the adoption of universal basic income to help people navigate the transition. 'We are headed into a short-term dystopia, but we can still decide what comes after that,' Gawdat told the podcast, emphasizing that the future remains malleable based on choices society makes today. He argued that outcomes will depend heavily on decisions regarding regulation, equitable access to technology, and what he calls the 'moral programming' of AI algorithms. 'Our last hurrah as a species could be how we adapt, re-imagine, and humanize this new world,' Gawdat said. Gawdat's predictions about mass AI-driven disruption are increasingly backed by mainstream economic data and analysis. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned of a 'white-collar bloodbath,' predicting that up to half of all entry-level office jobs could vanish within five years. The World Economic Forum says 40% of global employers expect to reduce staff due to AI, and Harvard researchers estimate that 35% of white-collar tasks are now automatable. Meanwhile, Challenger, Gray & Christmas reports that over 27,000 job cuts since 2023 have been directly attributed to AI, with tens of thousands more expected. Goldman Sachs and McKinsey project a multi-trillion-dollar boost to global GDP from AI, but the IMF cautions that these gains may worsen inequality without targeted policy responses. Analysts from MIT and PwC echo Gawdat's fears of wage collapse, wealth concentration, and social unrest — unless governments act swiftly to manage the transition. Solve the daily Crossword
