Google Inc announced plans to give investors a stock dividend on Thursday, as the search giant reported first quarter revenue roughly in line with Wall Street estimates.
Shares of Google, which finished on Thursday's regular session at $651.01, rose to $655 in after-hours trading.
Google said its board of directors has approved a dividend of stock to existing shareholders that it calls a 2-for-1 stock split, preserving its corporate and control structure.
The announcement came as Google co-founder Larry Page completed a year after his return as chief executive.
Net revenue, excluding fees paid to partner websites, totalled $8.14 billion in the three months ended March 31, compared with $6.54 billion in the year-ago period and analysts' average estimate of $8.15 billion according to Thomson Reuters.
Net income was $2.89 billion, or $8.75 per share, compared with $1.80 billion, or $5.51 a share, in the year-ago period when Google took a $500 million charge to settle a government probe into its advertising practices.
Since taking the reins one year ago, Mr Page has cut back on extraneous projects, launched a social networking service to challenge Facebook, and signed a $12.5 billion deal to acquire smartphone maker Motorola Mobility Inc.
Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012