Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Stake Cut by Gainplan LLC

Gainplan LLC lessened its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,348 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 315 shares during the period. Gainplan LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $634,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LMR Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Denver PWM LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet in the second quarter worth $41,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Alphabet in the second quarter valued at $53,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at $66,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 19.0% during the third quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 401 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,834 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.55, for a total value of $559,856.70. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 20,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,531.55. This represents a 12.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 16,820 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.62, for a total value of $3,239,868.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 43,981 shares in the company, valued at $8,471,620.22. This represents a 27.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 133,387 shares of company stock worth $24,368,654. Insiders own 11.55% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

NASDAQ GOOGL opened at $195.55 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.39 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.98. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.66 and a 52-week high of $201.42.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $88.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.85 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 27.74% and a return on equity of 31.66%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.55 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GOOGL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $204.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. China Renaissance upgraded Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $217.00 target price (up previously from $215.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Alphabet from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $208.15.

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.