Alphabet (GOOGL) closed at $343.92 on September 25, 2026, after pulling back from its $404 high amid a prolonged losing streak. Robust Q2 results showed 24% revenue growth to $119.8 billion and 82% Google Cloud expansion, yet shares fell on sharply higher full-year capex guidance of $195–205 billion, which pressured free cash flow. Traders are focused on the October 27–28 Q3 earnings release as the dominant near-term catalyst, alongside ongoing AI infrastructure investments, antitrust scrutiny, and broader tech sector sentiment. Strong Buy analyst consensus with a roughly $429 average target reflects expectations for continued double-digit growth, though elevated spending introduces margin uncertainty into the end-of-October close.