Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Trading 0.2% Higher - Time to Buy?

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $167.37 and last traded at $164.36. Approximately 8,983,158 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 70% from the average daily volume of 29,647,822 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.04.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on GOOGL. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $187.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Alphabet from $215.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citizens Jmp downgraded shares of Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $215.00 to $210.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Alphabet from $232.00 to $220.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $210.62.

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Alphabet Trading Down 2.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.99 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a fifty day moving average of $186.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $176.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.03. Alphabet had a return on equity of 32.49% and a net margin of 28.60%. On average, research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.94%.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 1,374 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.47, for a total value of $238,347.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 15,024 shares in the company, valued at $2,606,213.28. This represents a 8.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 16,820 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.62, for a total transaction of $3,239,868.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,981 shares in the company, valued at $8,471,620.22. The trade was a 27.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 95,682 shares of company stock worth $17,901,024 in the last 90 days. 11.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GOOGL. Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. LMR Partners LLP bought a new stake in Alphabet in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Alphabet by 518.8% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 198 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, PayPay Securities Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 245 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.