Alphabet (GOOGL) Competitors

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

Which has more volatility & risk, GOOGL or AAPL?

Alphabet has a beta of 1, suggesting that its stock price has a similar volatility profile to the S&P 500.Comparatively, Apple has a beta of 1.2, suggesting that its stock price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has higher valuation & earnings, GOOGL or AAPL?

Alphabet has higher earnings, but lower revenue 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
Alphabet	$350.02B	6.66	$100.12B	$8.97	21.42
Apple	$391.04B	8.16	$93.74B	$6.42	33.30

Do analysts prefer GOOGL or AAPL?

Alphabet currently has a consensus price target of $211.32, indicating a potential upside of 9.96%. Apple has a consensus price target of $235.11, indicating a potential upside of 9.99%. Given Apple's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Apple is more favorable than Alphabet.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Alphabet	0 Sell rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)	29 Buy rating(s)	4 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86
Apple	2 Sell rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	16 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.58

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in GOOGL or AAPL?

40.0% of Alphabet shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 67.7% of Apple shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.6% of Alphabet shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Apple shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is GOOGL or AAPL more profitable?

Alphabet has a net margin of 31.12% 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
Alphabet	31.12%	35.22%	25.57%
Apple	24.30%	167.24%	31.35%

Does the media refer more to GOOGL or AAPL?

In the previous week, Alphabet had 8 more articles in the media than Apple. MarketBeat recorded 265 mentions for Alphabet and 257 mentions for Apple. Alphabet's average media sentiment score of 1.00 beat Apple's score of 0.96 indicating that Alphabet is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Alphabet	146 Very Positive mention(s)	35 Positive mention(s)	40 Neutral mention(s)	8 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Apple	154 Very Positive mention(s)	24 Positive mention(s)	54 Neutral mention(s)	20 Negative mention(s)	4 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is GOOGL or AAPL a better dividend stock?

Alphabet pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Alphabet pays out 9.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Apple pays out 16.2% 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. Alphabet has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years and Apple has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Apple is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Alphabet and Apple tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.