GOOGL
Alphabet Inc.
GOOGL has the edge over LUMN overall, supported by lower modeled downside and stronger fundamentals.
LUMN
Lumen Technologies, Inc.
LUMN trails on the overall score without a compensating advantage in the available component scores.
GOOGL Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Under pressure | |
| Healthy |
GOOGL's revenue, profitability and balance sheet are currently healthy, but its cash flow is under pressure.
LUMN Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Under pressure | |
| Stable | |
| Weak | |
| Weak |
LUMN's profitability is currently stable, but its revenue, cash flow and balance sheet are under pressure.
GOOGL PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 16x | $299 | — |
| Cheap | 20x | $378 | +27% |
| Forward | 22x | $299 | — |
| Fair | 26x | $497 | +66% |
| Expensive | 31x | $586 | +96% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
GOOGL's PE is in its cheap range at 16x, but its recent earnings include one-off gains. On analysts' estimates for next year's earnings, today's price would be 22x.
LUMN PE Valuation
LUMN has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
GOOGL Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly deteriorating | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Weakening | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for GOOGL, but weaker profitability.
LUMN Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Losses shrinking | |
| Decline | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect LUMN's losses to shrink, with revenue declining.
GOOGL Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.89 | -28% |
| Q3 2026 | $19.16 | +89% |
| Q2 2026 | $19.91 | +112% |
| Q1 2026 | $13.11 | +46% |
| Q4 2025 | $10.81 | +34% |
| Q3 2025 | $10.13 | +34% |
| Q2 2025 | $9.38 | +35% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.96 | +37% |
| Q4 2024 | $8.04 | +39% |
GOOGL has the edge over LUMN on earnings quality, reporting a profit while its opponent remains loss making.
LUMN Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$0.67 | +$0.99 |
| Q2 2026 | -$1.03 | +$0.16 |
| Q1 2026 | -$1.75 | -$1.43 |
| Q4 2025 | -$1.75 | -$1.69 |
| Q3 2025 | -$1.66 | +$0.52 |
| Q2 2025 | -$1.19 | +$0.92 |
| Q1 2025 | -$0.32 | +$10.62 |
| Q4 2024 | -$0.06 | +$10.42 |
LUMN is still losing money, but far less than before: $0.67 per share over the past year, against $11.48 at its worst in late 2023.
GOOGL Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $127.6B | +25% |
| Q2 2026 | $119.8B | +24% |
| Q1 2026 | $109.9B | +22% |
| Q4 2025 | $113.8B | +18% |
| Q3 2025 | $102.3B | +16% |
| Q2 2025 | $96.4B | +14% |
| Q1 2025 | $90.2B | +12% |
| Q4 2024 | $96.5B | +12% |
GOOGL has the edge over LUMN on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 32% | +1.3 points |
| Q2 2026 | 34% | +1.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 36% | +2.2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 32% | -0.5 points |
| Q3 2025 | 31% | -1.8 points |
| Q2 2025 | 32% | +0.1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 34% | +2.3 points |
| Q4 2024 | 32% | +4.6 points |
GOOGL has the edge over LUMN on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
LUMN Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.7B | -12% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.8B | -9.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.9B | -8.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $3B | -8.7% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.1B | -4.2% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.1B | -5.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.2B | -3.3% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.3B | -5.3% |
LUMN's revenue has slid since its 2019 peak: $2.7B last quarter, down 12% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -6.2% | -2.4 points |
| Q2 2026 | -3.1% | +16 points |
| Q1 2026 | 21% | +17 points |
| Q4 2025 | -6.6% | -11 points |
| Q3 2025 | -3.8% | -7.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | -20% | -24 points |
| Q1 2025 | 3.4% | +2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 4.6% | +55 points |
LUMN's operating margin was −6.2% last quarter, down 2.4 points from the same quarter a year ago.
GOOGL Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$9.1B | -137% |
| Q2 2026 | -$5.9B | -210% |
| Q1 2026 | $10.1B | -47% |
| Q4 2025 | $24.6B | -1.2% |
| Q3 2025 | $24.5B | +39% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.3B | -61% |
| Q1 2025 | $19B | +13% |
| Q4 2024 | $24.8B | +215% |
GOOGL has the edge over LUMN on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
LUMN Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$354M | -124% |
| Q2 2026 | $69M | +$390M |
| Q1 2026 | $380M | +25% |
| Q4 2025 | -$1.1B | -$855M |
| Q3 2025 | $1.5B | +24% |
| Q2 2025 | -$321M | -$79M |
| Q1 2025 | $304M | -22% |
| Q4 2024 | -$227M | -$190M |
LUMN's free cash flow has turned negative after years in the green: −$987M over the past year.
GOOGL Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.5% | +59M shares |
| 1 year | +1.4% | +165M shares |
| 3 years | -1.2% | -148M shares |
| 5 years | -6.8% | -907M shares |
| Available history | -10% | -1.4B shares |
GOOGL has 12.4B diluted shares, up 1.4% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | $5.5B |
| Q3 2025 | $11.5B |
| Q2 2025 | $13.6B |
| Q1 2025 | $15.1B |
| Q4 2024 | $15.6B |
GOOGL spent $5.5B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 90% from the year before.
LUMN Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.1% | +669K shares |
| 1 year | +0.9% | +8.8M shares |
| 3 years | +2.2% | +21.2M shares |
| 5 years | -6% | -64.4M shares |
| Available history | -6.2% | -66.7M shares |
LUMN has the edge over GOOGL on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2022 | $200M |
| Q4 2021 | $91M |
GOOGL Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.4x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.0x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
GOOGL has the edge over LUMN on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
LUMN Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 4.3x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 3.9x | Elevated |
| Q1 2026 | 4.8x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 8.5x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 6.4x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 6.2x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 4.6x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 4.7x | High |
LUMN's net debt is about 4.3 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 6.4 years a year ago.
GOOGL Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 40.2 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 11.7 | Oversold |
GOOGL's weekly RSI is 40 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 12 (oversold).
LUMN Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 34.2 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 11.7 | Oversold |
LUMN's weekly RSI is 34 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 12 (oversold).
GOOGL PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | GOOGL | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 16x | 16x | 6% below |
| PE % | 1 | 26 | 25 pts below |
GOOGL is trading at 16x earnings, in line with the Communication Services sector's median of 16x, though its recent earnings include one-off gains.
LUMN PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | LUMN | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | N/A | 16x | — |
LUMN has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
GOOGL Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $320.4 | 6.8% below |
| 20 week MA | $336.1 | 11% below |
| 50 week MA | $334.5 | 11% below |
| 100 week MA | $267.8 | 12% above |
| 200 week MA | $204.7 | 46% above |
GOOGL has the edge over LUMN on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
LUMN Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $4.88 | 15% below |
| 20 week MA | $5.81 | 28% below |
| 50 week MA | $7.24 | 42% below |
| 100 week MA | $6.23 | 33% below |
| 200 week MA | $4.53 | 7.9% below |
LUMN is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 7.9% below its 200-week average.
GOOGL Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $67.7 | $86.7 | +28% |
| 2021 | $86.7 | $146.9 | +69% |
| 2022 | $146.9 | $89.2 | -39% |
| 2023 | $89.2 | $139.7 | +57% |
| 2024 | $139.7 | $192.8 | +38% |
| 2025 | $192.8 | $313.5 | +63% |
| 2026 YTD | $313.5 | $298.7 | -4.7% |
GOOGL has the edge over LUMN on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
LUMN Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $13.4 | $9.86 | -27% |
| 2021 | $9.86 | $12.8 | +30% |
| 2022 | $12.8 | $5.24 | -59% |
| 2023 | $5.24 | $1.83 | -65% |
| 2024 | $1.83 | $5.49 | +200% |
| 2025 | $5.49 | $7.69 | +40% |
| 2026 YTD | $7.69 | $4.17 | -46% |
LUMN's yearly returns have swung widely, from +200% in 2024 to −65% in 2023. It's down 46% so far in 2026.