Alphabet (GOOG) Competitors

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, earnings, valuation, profitability and institutional ownership.

Does the media favor AAPL or GOOG?

In the previous week, Apple had 107 more articles in the media than Alphabet. MarketBeat recorded 288 mentions for Apple and 181 mentions for Alphabet. Alphabet's average media sentiment score of 1.08 beat Apple's score of 0.74 indicating that Alphabet is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Apple	151 Very Positive mention(s)	22 Positive mention(s)	70 Neutral mention(s)	29 Negative mention(s)	14 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Alphabet	127 Very Positive mention(s)	13 Positive mention(s)	24 Neutral mention(s)	12 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is AAPL or GOOG a better dividend stock?

Apple pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Alphabet pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Apple pays out 16.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Alphabet pays out 9.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Apple has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years and Alphabet has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Apple is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has more volatility and risk, AAPL or GOOG?

Apple has a beta of 1.2, meaning that its share price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Alphabet has a beta of 1.01, meaning that its share price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate AAPL or GOOG?

Apple presently has a consensus price target of $234.95, suggesting a potential upside of 10.12%. Alphabet has a consensus price target of $206.38, suggesting a potential upside of 14.52%. Given Alphabet's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Alphabet is more favorable than Apple.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Apple	2 Sell rating(s)	12 Hold rating(s)	17 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.58
Alphabet	3 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	14 Buy rating(s)	6 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.82

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, AAPL or GOOG?

Alphabet has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Apple. Alphabet is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Apple, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Apple	$391.04B	8.15	$93.74B	$6.42	33.23
Alphabet	$350.02B	6.25	$100.12B	$8.97	20.09

Is AAPL or GOOG more profitable?

Alphabet has a net margin of 30.86% compared to Apple's net margin of 24.30%. Apple's return on equity of 167.24% beat Alphabet's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Apple	24.30%	167.24%	31.35%
Alphabet	30.86%	34.54%	25.07%

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of AAPL or GOOG?

67.7% of Apple shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.3% of Alphabet shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Apple shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 13.0% of Alphabet shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Apple beats Alphabet on 11 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.