M Holdings Securities Inc. Grows Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

M Holdings Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 4.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 37,082 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,507 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for about 1.0% of M Holdings Securities Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. M Holdings Securities Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $5,793,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC raised its position in Alphabet by 111.8% during the 1st quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 161 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Goodman Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Alphabet during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Graybill Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new position in Alphabet during the 1st quarter worth $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

Alphabet stock opened at $204.91 on Monday. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $142.66 and a 12-month high of $208.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.48 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.02. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $185.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.52. 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:GOOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.19. Alphabet had a net margin of 31.12% and a return on equity of 34.31%. The company had revenue of $96.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $93.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 23,820 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.70, for a total value of $4,637,754.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 42,999 shares of the company’s stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Kavitark Ram Shriram sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.76, for a total transaction of $2,786,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 240,400 shares in the company, valued at $44,656,704. This represents a 5.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 274,819 shares of company stock valued at $49,796,547 over the last three months. Insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOOG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $186.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and five have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.19.

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.