A fresh assessment from Citizens analyst has reaffirmed a constructive outlook on Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), even as near-term operational challenges in its autonomous driving unit temper expectations.
In this case, the firm’s analyst, Andrew Boone, maintained a ‘Market Outperform’ rating on the stock and set a price target of $385. The new Google stock target implies an upside of about 30% from the stock’s press-time value of $294.
The update centers on developments at Waymo, which continues to expand its footprint in the self-driving vehicle space.
The unit’s fleet has grown to roughly 3,000 vehicles, up from 2,700 recorded in November, reflecting steady progress in deployment.
This expansion signals continued demand and gradual scaling of autonomous ride-hailing services, reinforcing Waymo’s strategic importance within Alphabet’s broader long-term growth narrative.
However, Boone noted that production scaling at Waymo is progressing more slowly than expected. The shift to its sixth-generation driver platform has yet to significantly boost manufacturing output, creating a bottleneck that may delay faster fleet expansion.
This comes despite design improvements such as pre-installed sensors and enhanced safety redundancy aimed at increasing efficiency.
Insights shared during a podcast featuring co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov suggest that while the technology is largely ready, execution challenges in scaling production remain a key concern for investors.
Wall Street bullish on Google stock
Meanwhile, this outlook aligns with the broader Wall Street view, where analysts remain bullish on GOOGL shares. According to 30 analysts tracked by TipRanks, 25 recommend buying the stock while five suggest holding, with no sell ratings recorded, resulting in a consensus rating of ‘Strong Buy’.
The analysts have set an average target of $377.90, representing a projected gain of 27.77% over the next 12 months. The highest estimate stands at $450, while the lowest target is $303.13.
Google stock fundamentals
Indeed, the strong outlook comes at a time when Google stock has been backed by strong fundamentals.
The company capped 2025 with impressive Q4 results, announced in February 2026. Revenue climbed 18% year over year to $113.8 billion, pushing full-year revenue past the $400 billion milestone for the first time. Adjusted earnings per share rose 31% to $2.82, beating Wall Street expectations.
Looking ahead to 2026, Alphabet is prioritizing a major expansion in AI infrastructure, guiding for $175 to $185 billion in capital expenditures, nearly double 2025 levels and above prior expectations.
The investment will focus on data centers, servers, networking, and custom AI chips to support growing cloud demand and advance models like Gemini 3.
Key risks include executing this large-scale spending, rising AI competition, regulatory pressure in search and advertising, and broader macroeconomic uncertainty.
With Q1 2026 earnings due in late April, investors will be watching closely for updates on AI monetization and spending trends.
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