Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,000 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 8,919 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for about 0.7% of Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $9,639,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Meritage Group LP lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 1,061.5% during the third quarter. Meritage Group LP now owns 302 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Armor Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alphabet by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Armor Investment Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Alphabet by 55.9% in the fourth quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 343 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOGL stock opened at $174.99 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.16 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.02. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $115.35 and a 12 month high of $178.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $160.81 and a 200-day moving average of $146.70. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The information services provider reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $80.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $66.04 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 29.52% and a net margin of 25.90%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.17 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 7.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GOOGL shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Alphabet from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $150.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Citigroup increased their price target on Alphabet from $168.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective (up previously from $160.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.57.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 22,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.70, for a total transaction of $2,985,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,332,691 shares in the company, valued at $309,548,095.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 22,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.70, for a total value of $2,985,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,332,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $309,548,095.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 682 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.49, for a total transaction of $93,086.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 28,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,903,886.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 205,935 shares of company stock worth $31,178,987. Corporate insiders own 11.55% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet 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.