Information on Our New Class of Shares

On January 29, 2014, our Board of Directors approved the issuance of the Class C dividend and has set a March 27 record date. The Class C dividend will have an April 2 issuance date, and we expect the shares to begin trading on April 3. We are excited to announce that the new Class C shares will trade under our historic stock ticker GOOG, while the Class A shares will trade under the new stock ticker GOOGL.

Timeline

  • March 27, 2014 – Record Date (to determine which stockholders are entitled to receive the Class C dividend)
  • April 2, 2014 – Dividend Payment Date (one Class C share dividend issued for each share of existing Class A/Class B stock)
  • April 3, 2014 – Anticipated First Date of Trading

Mechanics of Issuance

What ticker symbols will the stock classes have?

When the dividend is issued:

  • the new Class C capital stock will trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the original symbol GOOG
  • Class A common stock will trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the NEW symbol GOOGL
  • Class B common stock will remain unlisted and will not be publicly traded.

How will these new shares be allocated to existing stockholders?

Each holder of Class A and Class B shares on the record date (March 27, 2014) will be entitled to receive shares of the new Class C capital stock on a one-for-one basis. For example, if an investor had 100 shares of Class A (GOOG) stock prior to the dividend issuance, he/she will have 100 shares of Class A (GOOGL) stock plus 100 shares of Class C (GOOG) stock after the dividend issuance.

If I am a retail investor, will I get any information on this split? What do I need to do?

On April 2nd, each holder of Class A and Class B shares will receive shares of the new Class C capital stock on a one-for-one basis. No action is necessary.

Impact to Google’s Financial Statements

Do you expect to take any accounting charge as a result of this dividend?

We are still finalizing our accounting treatment of the dividend but we do not expect there to be a material accounting charge, if any. Any updates will be posted to this website.

How and when will this start to impact the presentation of your financials? Will your EPS presentation change?

You can read more on the EPS presentation here.

Index Investor FAQs

What are the major indices that include Google stock?

S&P500, Nasdaq 100, Russell 1000 and MSCI Standard indices.

What class of shares will be included in S&P 500, the Nasdaq 100 and other indices?

That is up to the S&P, Nasdaq and the other indexers. The S&P has issued a press release detailing their plans here. The Nasdaq has issued a press release detailing their plans here.

How will the rebalancing of the S&P 500, the Nasdaq 100, etc. work?

That is up to the S&P, Nasdaq and the other indexers. The S&P has issued a press release detailing their plans here. The Nasdaq has issued a press release detailing their plans here.