If You Invested $1,000 In Alphabet Stock One Year Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Now

Investors who have owned stocks in the last year have generally experienced some big gains. In fact, the SPDR S&P 500 SPY total return over the last 12 months is 39.5%. But there is no question some big-name stocks performed better than others along the way.

Alphabet’s Run: One company that has been a decent investment in the last year has been Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL).

Fortunately for Alphabet investors, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 wasn’t particularly bad for most of Alphabet’s business. While other companies were dealing with economic shutdowns, people around the world who were sheltering in place had little to do for entertainment and social interactions other than browsing the internet and watching videos on YouTube.

In fact, in 2019 Alphabet reported $49.16 in EPS on $161.8 billion in revenue. In 2020, those numbers improved to $58.61 in EPS on $182.5 billion in revenue.

At the beginning of 2020, Alphabet’s Class-A shares were trading at around $1,348. By the beginning of March, the stock was still hovering at around $1,351 as news of the coronavirus spreading in China prompted concerns about a U.S. pandemic.

Alphabet bottomed at $1,008.87 during the pandemic-driven March sell-off. Fortunately for Alphabet investors, the dip didn't last long.

By the end of July, Alphabet shares were back at new all-time highs above $1,580, and the stock got as high as $1,726.10 in September prior to an extended consolidation period. At the time investors were relieved Alphabet’s online advertising business navigated the pandemic relatively well.

Unfortunately, the stock took a hit in September after the New York Times reported that the Department of Justice and representatives from 50 states and territories were planning to launch an antitrust case against Google.

Related Link: If You Invested $1,000 In Facebook Stock One Year Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Now

Alphabet In 2021, Beyond: Alphabet again broke out to new highs in November as investors shrugged off the growing regulatory scrutiny.

Alphabet reported stellar growth numbers in the first quarter of 2021, including 34.3% revenue growth, 162.2% net income growth and YouTube ad revenue growth of nearly 50%. A recent Pew report also found that YouTube’s penetration of U.S. adults climbed from 73% to 81% during the pandemic.

Alphabet’s bullish momentum has continued ahead of its second-quarter earnings report this week with the stock hitting an all-time high of $2,684.74.

Alphabet investors who bought one year ago and held on have generated a solid return on their investment. In fact, $1,000 in Alphabet stock bought on July 27, 2020, would be worth about $1,785 today.

Looking ahead, analysts are expecting modest upside for Alphabet in the next 12 months. The average price target among the 39 analysts covering the stock is $2,800, suggesting 4.4% upside from current levels.