Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Stock Holdings Boosted by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC grew its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 33.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,571,741 shares of the information services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 392,086 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises approximately 15.8% of Virtu Financial LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $297,530,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. LMR Partners LLP bought a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter worth $32,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its stake 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 valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, PayPay Securities Corp grew its position in shares of Alphabet by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 245 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Down 4.9 %

Shares of Alphabet stock traded down $7.91 during trading on Friday, reaching $154.33. 48,610,349 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 27,276,841. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 19.17, 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $179.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.84.

Remove Ads

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.03. Alphabet had a net margin of 28.60% and a return on equity of 32.49%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Alphabet news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 1,368 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total value of $262,040.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 20,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,961,445.55. This trade represents a 6.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 16,820 shares of the business's 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. The trade was a 27.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 104,812 shares of company stock worth $19,336,979. Insiders own 11.55% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GOOGL shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Alphabet from $187.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $210.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Alphabet from $210.00 to $208.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.