Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Shares Sold by Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 73,837 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 1,486 shares during the quarter. Alphabet accounts for 2.4% of Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $13,977,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First National Trust Co increased its stake in Alphabet by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 291,637 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $55,207,000 after acquiring an additional 6,265 shares during the period. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC now owns 31,090 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $5,886,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. increased its position in shares of Alphabet by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. now owns 7,567 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 725 shares during the period. Postrock Partners LLC bought a new stake in Alphabet during the fourth quarter worth about $9,116,000. Finally, Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. grew its stake in Alphabet by 37.9% during the fourth quarter. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. now owns 13,125 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $2,484,000 after buying an additional 3,605 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 16,820 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 43,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,471,620.22. This represents a 27.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kavitark Ram Shriram sold 29,066 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.89, for a total transaction of $5,374,012.74. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 272,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,376,238.74. The trade was a 9.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 93,048 shares of company stock valued at $17,374,274. Corporate insiders own 11.55% of the company’s stock.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GOOGL opened at $165.06 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $181.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $176.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.02. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $147.22 and a 1-year high of $207.05.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.15 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. Alphabet’s payout ratio is 9.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citizens Jmp downgraded shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Alphabet from $232.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on Alphabet from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. DZ Bank lowered Alphabet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $198.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $210.59.

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.