Google Stock Split & Stock Certificates

When it comes to Google stock, I’m happy and sad at the same time. I’m happy because last month, Google stock split so the price to buy one share of Google is half what it was.  The motivation for Google’s stock split was a little different than with most stock splits. The company didn’t split the stock to make it cheaper for smaller investors, the stock was split so they (mainly the founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin) could maintain their voting control and still have stock to use for acquisitions and employee compensation. This was achieved by giving one share of Google Class A voting stock and one share of Google Class C non-voting stock to shareholders in exchange for each share they owned.  Both trade on the NYSE – Class A under the ticker GOOGL and Class C under GOOG. At GiveAshare, we are just offering the Google Class A shares because we want our customers to be shareholders who can vote!

Why am I sad? Any sort of stock transaction is an opportunity for a company to speed up their timeline to eliminate paper stock certificates and move to electronic registration and guess what? That’s what’s happened. Effective last month, Google will no longer issue stock certificates.

Never fear, GiveAshare.com is here. Effective immediately, GiveAshare will offer the Google Class A voting shares. Ownership will be recorded electronically and we will personalize and deliver a framed replica Google stock certificate that looks like the real thing all the way down to the printed signatures of founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.  You can buy one share of Google stock (now known as Alphabet) here.

By the way, did you see that Apple stock is splitting 7 for 1?  Now it’s much cheaper to buy one share of Apple stock.

UPDATE: In 2015, Google management created parent company Alphabet with Google as a subsidiary. Giveashare now offers one share of Alphabet stock.