Citizens JMP Upgrades Alphabet, Cites AI Tailwinds and Rising User Engagement

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) ranks among the best FAANG stocks to buy according to hedge funds. On June 26, Citizens JMP raised Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) from Market Perform to Market Outperform, with a $220 price target. Given that OpenAI has 800 million weekly active users compared to Google’s more than 5 billion, Citizens JMP believes AI is evolving into a net benefit for Google rather than an imminent risk.

Citizens JMP Upgrades Alphabet, Cites AI Tailwinds and Rising User Engagement

According to the firm, AI Overviews, which went live in the US in May, caused a 10% increase in testing queries and is anticipated to grow from 1.5 billion monthly users in Q1 2025 to 4 billion by Q3 2025. According to the research firm, although ChatGPT is gaining some market share in searches based on OpenAI’s $10 billion yearly recurring revenue revealed in June, its subscriber base is only expected to reach 20 million in the second quarter of 2025. This suggests that Google’s query growth can pick up speed in both the second and third quarters of 2025.

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is a leading tech giant with a diverse portfolio, offering products such as Google ads, Google Chrome, Search, and YouTube, holding a dominant position in each of these markets.

While we acknowledge the potential of GOOGL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

Read More: 10 Best Magic Formula Stocks for 2025 and 10 Best Retirement Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds

Disclosure: None.