Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 17.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,688,849 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 2,549,775 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 5.9% of SG Americas Securities LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Alphabet worth $1,807,564,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GOOGL. Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new position in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. PayPay Securities Corp grew its holdings in Alphabet by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 245 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. 40.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alphabet Stock Down 0.9%

NASDAQ GOOGL traded down $1.65 on Thursday, reaching $175.70. The company had a trading volume of 20,879,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,364,109. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.13 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 1.84. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $140.53 and a 1-year high of $207.05. The company's fifty day moving average is $162.29 and its 200-day moving average is $174.57.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The information services provider reported $2.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.79. Alphabet had a net margin of 28.60% and a return on equity of 32.49%. The company had revenue of $76.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $89.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.48%. This is an increase from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group set a $195.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Friday, April 25th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Alphabet from $230.00 to $205.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $199.75.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 11,764 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.84, for a total value of $1,962,705.76. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 49,037 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,181,333.08. This represents a 19.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.71, for a total transaction of $5,483,075.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,587,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at $436,570,192.16. This trade represents a 1.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 195,570 shares of company stock worth $32,003,532 in the last three months. Insiders own 11.64% of the company's stock.

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.