Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL is ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s 6th Largest Position

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. increased its stake in Alphabet Inc. by 1.0%, making it the company's 6th largest position with a total of 1,109,614 shares valued at approximately $195.5 million.
• Alphabet recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.21 per share, translating to an annual yield of 0.3%, with a payout ratio of 8.95%.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Alphabet's stock, with a price target of $244.62, supported by multiple upgrades from investment firms.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. lifted its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,109,614 shares of the information services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,458 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for approximately 2.5% of ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $195,542,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GOOGL. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. grew 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. von Borstel & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. NBZ Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 85.7% during the 1st quarter. NBZ Investment Advisors LLC now owns 195 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOGL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. BMO Capital Markets set a $294.00 price objective on Alphabet and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Citizens Jmp upped their price target on Alphabet from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Wedbush upped their price target on Alphabet from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Alphabet from $192.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $244.62.

Alphabet Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of GOOGL opened at $241.53 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.92 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.00. Alphabet Inc. has a 1 year low of $140.53 and a 1 year high of $256.00. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $225.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $188.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.16. Alphabet had a return on equity of 34.31% and a net margin of 31.12%.The business had revenue of $96.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $93.60 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 8th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.95%.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, Director John L. Hennessy sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.44, for a total transaction of $149,664.00. Following the sale, the director owned 5,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,425,799.04. This represents a 9.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 103 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.13, for a total value of $25,042.39. Following the sale, the director owned 17,284 shares in the company, valued at $4,202,258.92. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 276,738 shares of company stock worth $59,135,475 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 11.64% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Company 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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