Alphabet price target raised to $154 from $145 at Stifel

Stifel raised the firm’s price target on Alphabet (GOOGL) to $154 from $145 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. Ahead of earnings for the digital advertising group, the firm said its digital ads checks were “largely positive overall,” with growth that is pacing inline to ahead of internal plans as exiting the year. The firm has slightly adjusted its models, noting that some of its adjustments are based on the timing of key launches. The firm favors the names that its checks suggest are accelerating into the end of the year, so it prefers Meta (META), Trade Desk (TTD), and Pinterest (PINS), which the firm just upgraded Pinterest to Buy, across its large cap coverage, the analyst tells investors in a group preview note.