Banco BTG Pactual S.A. Sells 14,847 Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. decreased its holdings in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 30.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 34,053 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 14,847 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up about 1.5% of Banco BTG Pactual S.A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Banco BTG Pactual S.A.’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $6,492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Core Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Core Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,525 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,433,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its position in Alphabet by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 30,211 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $5,753,000 after buying an additional 4,127 shares in the last quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 74.1% during the fourth quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 61,484 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $11,709,000 after buying an additional 26,162 shares during the last quarter. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 31.9% during the fourth quarter. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC now owns 475 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 20,942 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $3,988,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GOOG. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Alphabet from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.13.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.7 %

Alphabet stock opened at $172.79 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company has a market capitalization of $2.11 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.46, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $183.56 and its 200 day moving average is $178.44. Alphabet Inc. has a 12-month low of $148.20 and a 12-month high of $208.70.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) 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, sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.46%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is 9.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ruth Porat sold 17,690 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.48, for a total value of $3,245,761.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,449,286 shares in the company, valued at $265,914,995.28. This represents a 1.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 200 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.53, for a total value of $33,106.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,813 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,293,285.89. This trade represents a 2.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 93,048 shares of company stock worth $17,374,274 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock.

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.