Bensler LLC Acquires 8,496 Shares of Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL

Bensler LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 8.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 113,164 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,496 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 2.2% of Bensler LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Bensler LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $19,943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 509,826,331 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $78,839,544,000 after acquiring an additional 14,307,345 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 11.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 43,865,520 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,783,364,000 after buying an additional 4,473,901 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 43,648,514 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,749,806,000 after purchasing an additional 593,345 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Alphabet by 1.9% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 39,792,300 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $6,153,481,000 after acquiring an additional 727,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 38,556,577 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $5,962,389,000 after purchasing an additional 104,859 shares in the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Performance

GOOGL opened at $289.45 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $261.21 and its 200 day moving average is $212.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $3.49 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.55, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.05. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $140.53 and a 12-month high of $306.42.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.58. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.23% and a return on equity of 36.08%. The business had revenue of $102.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.90 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 8.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on GOOGL shares. New Street Research lifted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $275.00 to $295.00 in a report on Friday, October 24th. Moffett Nathanson boosted their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Citizens Jmp increased their target price on Alphabet from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on Alphabet from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $305.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.80, for a total transaction of $32,681.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,004 shares in the company, valued at $5,253,567.20. This trade represents a 0.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.48, for a total transaction of $9,213,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,337,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $662,526,494.12. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 192,674 shares of company stock valued at $48,454,423. 11.64% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alphabet Company 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.