Marathon Asset Management Ltd Sells 17,029 Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)

Marathon Asset Management Ltd reduced its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 261,026 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 17,029 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for approximately 1.4% of Marathon Asset Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Marathon Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $49,710,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GOOG. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. raised its stake in Alphabet by 87.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 251 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. 27.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $174.99 on Thursday. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $131.95 and a 12 month high of $208.70. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $190.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.91. 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 firm has a market cap of $2.13 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.00.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.15 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, research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 16,820 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.62, for a total transaction of $3,239,868.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 43,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,471,620.22. This trade represents a 27.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,834 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.55, for a total transaction of $559,856.70. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 20,681 shares in the company, valued at $4,085,531.55. This trade represents a 12.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 134,316 shares of company stock valued at $25,062,887 in the last 90 days. 12.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on GOOG shares. Citizens Jmp cut shares of Alphabet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Benchmark restated a “negative” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.13.

Alphabet Company 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.