Howard Capital Management Inc. Has $6.56 Million Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 1.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,035 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 384 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises 0.6% of Howard Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $6,564,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc raised its position in shares of Alphabet by 75.0% during the second quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 140 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Tributary Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Denver PWM LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GOOGL opened at $163.59 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market capitalization of $2.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.04. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $191.75. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $164.72 and a 200-day moving average of $165.32.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The information services provider reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $84.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.60 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 26.70% and a return on equity of 30.49%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 7.64 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Alphabet from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, TD Securities upped their price target on Alphabet from $200.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.08.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 682 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total transaction of $125,126.54. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 30,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,623,355.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total transaction of $125,126.54. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 30,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,623,355.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 22,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.84, for a total value of $4,113,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,204,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $403,141,173.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 180,167 shares of company stock worth $29,762,606 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 11.55% of the company’s stock.

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.