Allianz SE Grows Position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Key Points

• Allianz SE has increased its stake in Alphabet Inc. by 0.8%, now holding 468,576 shares valued at $72.46 million, making it the firm's 7th largest position.
• Insider trading activity has been significant, with CEO Sundar Pichai selling 32,500 shares worth approximately $5.8 million, and insider John Kent Walker selling 23,820 shares for about $4.64 million.
• Alphabet's stock recently opened at $201.42 and reported better-than-expected earnings, with a 12-month high of $207.05 and a projected EPS of 8.9 for the current year.

Allianz SE raised its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 468,576 shares of the information services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,770 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises 1.9% of Allianz SE's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Allianz SE's holdings in Alphabet were worth $72,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 242.9% during the 1st quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 168 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. von Borstel & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Anderson Financial Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 23,820 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.70, for a total value of $4,637,754.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 42,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,371,905.30. This trade represents a 35.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.52, for a total value of $5,801,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,559,892 shares of the company's stock, valued at $456,991,919.84. This represents a 1.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 273,219 shares of company stock worth $49,474,273. 11.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Alphabet Price Performance

Alphabet stock opened at $201.42 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $2.44 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.01. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $140.53 and a 12 month high of $207.05. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $180.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $172.80.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $96,428,000 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $93.60 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 34.31% and a net margin of 31.12%. Analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GOOGL. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Alphabet from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Alphabet from $196.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Bank of America increased their price target on Alphabet from $210.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. DA Davidson increased their price target on Alphabet from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Alphabet from $184.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $211.53.

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc offers various products and platforms in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets segments. The Google Services segment provides products and services, including ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Play, Search, and YouTube.

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