Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Shares Sold by Halter Ferguson Financial Inc.

Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. trimmed its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,913 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for about 0.1% of Halter Ferguson Financial Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GOOGL. Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. LMR Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter worth about $32,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Alphabet by 518.8% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 198 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, PayPay Securities Corp grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 245 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Trading Down 4.9 %

Alphabet stock opened at $154.33 on Friday. Alphabet Inc. has a 52 week low of $147.22 and a 52 week high of $207.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 1.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $179.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.92.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.03. Alphabet had a return on equity of 32.49% and a net margin of 28.60%. Research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 9.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Alphabet from $232.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $210.59.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In related news, insider Ruth Porat sold 17,690 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.48, for a total transaction of $3,245,761.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,449,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $265,914,995.28. This trade represents a 1.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Kavitark Ram Shriram sold 29,066 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.89, for a total value of $5,374,012.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 272,466 shares in the company, valued at $50,376,238.74. This trade represents a 9.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 104,812 shares of company stock valued at $19,336,979 over the last three months. 11.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.