Sargent Investment Group LLC Increases Alphabet Inc. Stock Holdings

Sargent Investment Group LLC has enhanced its investment in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) by 15.8% during the fourth quarter, as indicated in its latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). After acquiring an additional 6,588 shares during this period, the fund now holds a total of 48,396 shares of the technology giant's stock.

Alphabet represents 1.5% of Sargent Investment Group LLC's overall portfolio, positioning it as the 18th largest holding within the fund. As of the latest reporting period, the value of Sargent Investment Group LLC's investment in Alphabet was approximately $9,244,000.

Institutional Investors Shift Positions

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made adjustments to their positions in Alphabet. For instance, State Street Corp increased its stake by 0.3% in the third quarter, now owning 222,555,548 shares valued at around $36.91 billion after purchasing an additional 743,369 shares. Similarly, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings by 2.0%, bringing its total to 134,030,679 shares worth approximately $22.15 billion after acquiring 2,626,431 shares.

In addition, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position by 7.7%, resulting in ownership of 63,667,407 shares valued at roughly $10.56 billion after buying 4,567,275 shares. Fisher Asset Management LLC also increased its holdings by 2.5%, now owning 49,857,900 shares valued at about $8.27 billion following the purchase of an additional 1,237,385 shares. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake by 1.4% during the same period, now owning 37,233,079 shares valued at approximately $6.18 billion after acquiring 523,416 shares. In total, institutional investors own about 40.03% of Alphabet's stock.

Recent Insider Transactions

In related news, there have been some insider transactions at Alphabet. Amie Thuener O'toole, the Chief Accounting Officer, sold 1,340 shares on February 3rd at an average price of $202.08, totaling approximately $270,787. After this sale, O'toole holds 17,848 shares, valued at roughly $3.61 million, marking a 6.98% reduction in ownership.

On a different note, insider John Kent Walker sold 16,820 shares on December 30th at an average price of $192.62, amounting to around $3.24 million. Post-sale, Walker retains 43,981 shares, valued at approximately $8.47 million, reflecting a decrease of 27.66% in his position. Recent disclosures reveal that insiders sold a total of 89,529 shares worth $16.6 million over the last quarter, with insiders owning about 11.55% of the company's stock.

Current Stock Performance

As of February 7th, Alphabet’s shares opened at $185.23. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $175.03. Its market capitalization stands at $2.27 trillion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.01, a PEG ratio of 1.39, and a beta of 0.99. Alphabet has seen a one-year low of $130.66 and a one-year high of $207.05.

On February 4th, Alphabet announced its quarterly earnings, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $2.15, which exceeded the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.03. The company's net margin was reported at 28.60%, and it achieved a return on equity of 32.49%. Analysts predict that Alphabet will post an EPS of 8.91 for the current year.

Dividend Declaration

Recently, Alphabet announced a quarterly dividend set to be paid on March 17th. Shareholders on record as of March 10th will receive a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is also March 10th, which will lead to an annualized dividend of $0.80, yielding 0.43%. The payout ratio stands at 9.94%.

Analyst Perspectives

Equities analysts have recently provided updates on Alphabet’s stock, with KeyCorp raising its price target from $215.00 to $225.00 and issuing an "overweight" rating. The Goldman Sachs Group maintained a "buy" rating with a target of $210.00. Wolfe Research increased its price target from $220.00 to $230.00 with an "outperform" rating, while Morgan Stanley reduced its target from $215.00 to $210.00, concurrently maintaining an "overweight" rating. Lastly, Evercore ISI raised its target from $200.00 to $205.00 with an "outperform" rating. A total of ten analysts have assigned a hold rating, twenty-nine are recommending a buy, and four have issued strong buy ratings for Alphabet’s shares. The average consensus rating remains a "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $210.62.

Overview of Alphabet Inc.

Alphabet Inc. is a multinational corporation that operates through several segments, providing a wide array of products and services across the globe. These segments include Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets. Google Services encompass a variety of offerings, including advertisements, Android operating systems, and various Google applications like Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube.

Alphabet, Investment, Stocks