Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-one research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $209.13.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Alphabet from $182.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Alphabet from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Phillip Securities raised Alphabet to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Alphabet from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Alphabet Trading Up 2.5 %

Alphabet stock opened at $207.71 on Wednesday. Alphabet has a 12 month low of $131.55 and a 12 month high of $208.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $191.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.71. The company has a market capitalization of $2.54 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.00.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.03. Alphabet had a net margin of 27.74% and a return on equity of 31.66%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Alphabet will post 8.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 1,340 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.08, for a total transaction of $270,787.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 17,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,606,723.84. This trade represents a 6.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kavitark Ram Shriram sold 10,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.41, for a total value of $1,862,805.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 319,966 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,765,168.06. The trade was a 3.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 100,029 shares of company stock valued at $18,462,883. 12.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alphabet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JFG Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. JFG Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $406,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Alphabet by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC now owns 1,653 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,472,000. LGL Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. LGL Partners LLC now owns 5,056 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $963,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FFT Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC now owns 24,536 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $4,673,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Alphabet

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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