Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) stock was split last Thursday as announced by the company back in January. After the split, there are now two classes of shares with tickers GOOG and GOOGL. Last October, the stock of the search engine giant surged to as much as $1,000 for the first time.
Google stock split: All you need to know
Unlike other stock splits where two classes of shares are available at a lower price after the split, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s split differentiated in terms of voting rights. This will also allow founders Larry Page, Sergey Brin and executive chairman Eric Schmidt to retain control over the company.
GOOG is the ticker for Class C shares and GOOGL is the name given to Class A shares. There will be no voting rights for Class C shares, whereas Class A shares carry one vote. Those who had Google stock in their portfolio before the split were given one Class A share that has voting rights.
Class B shares of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) do not trade on a public market, and carry 10 votes for every share. It is worth noting that when a Class C share is sold by the company, it converts one class B share into a Class A share.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) will pay appropriate compensation to the non-voting GOOG stock investors in a year if there is a considerable difference between the prices of two classes.
What happens after the split
Dan Ritter of Wall St. Cheat Sheet said that nothing much has changed after the stock split.
“This may sound like a somewhat contrived way for executives to maintain control of the company, and it kind of is, but this is fine.” He added that a bet on Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) stock means trust on Brin, Page and Schmidt. According to Ritter, the strategy has worked so far and through the stock split the internet and technology companies keep themselves safe.
A stock split means more controlling power to the founders and board. The management of the company is laudable along with sound corporate governance. Investors will likely tend to buy more shares of Google after the split, which would, in fact, drive growth ahead. Google, which divested itself of its loss making Motorola Mobility business, has robust positioning across numerous search, display, and video advertising platforms, which along with the stock split would guarantee growth in the future.
