Google-parent Alphabet joins Apple and Microsoft in the $1tr club

Google-parent company Alphabet hit a milestone, as a rally in the stock took it above a $1 trillion (Dh3.67tn) valuation for the first time, solidifying the dominance of technology and internet stocks as the biggest titans of Wall Street.

Shares rallied in the last half hour of trading on Thursday to close at $1,450.16, up 0.8 per cent on the day.

With the gain, Alphabet became the newest member of an elite club to trade with the historic 13-digit market capitalisation. Only two other US names are past the threshold: Apple, valued at about $1.38tn, and Microsoft, at $1.27tn.

Amazon flirted with the level last year, but the e- commerce company would have to rise more than 7 per cent for its current valuation of $931.1 billion to move above $1tn. These four companies are by far the largest on Wall Street, and their huge size gives them an big impact on overall market direction.

Together, they represent more than 15 per cent of the weight of the S&P 500.

The rest of the market is, at best, hundreds of billions of dollars away from trillion- dollar valuations. The fifthlargest US stock by market cap, Facebook, currently has a valuation of $632.9bn. The biggest company outside the tech or internet sector is Berkshire Hathaway in sixth place, valued around $559bn. Alphabet’s move above the level is just the latest step higher for the company. Shares are up about 40 per cent from a June 2019 low, with the rally largely fuelled by optimism over its 2020 prospects, particularly with respect to ad revenue. Alphabet will report fourthquarter results on February 3.

Among recent commentary, Evercore ISI raised its price target on the stock to $ 1,600 from $ 1,350, writing that it expects the company will continue “to compound on its defensible dominance in Search and video advertising with YouTube.” Earlier this week, Deutsche Bank raised its own target to $1,735, writing that the stock “trades too cheaply”. The firm cited more ad product launches, an expanded stock buyback programme and “improving competitiveness in the cloud business”.

Alphabet’s shares are among a small group of stocks found in the top holdings of both mutual funds and hedge funds, two types of institutions whose investing styles tend to be markedly different, a Goldman Sachs analysis showed. That could leave it exposed to volatile price swings if sentiment suddenly changes.

Despite those concerns, many investors are finding it hard to say goodbye. The 28% climb in Alphabet and the performance of other technology and tech-related stocks helped money managers post big gains in 2019, making it difficult for many to justify cutting their exposure even as they fret over the implications of its run-up. Ernesto Ramos, portfolio manager of the BMO Large-Cap Growth Fund, has held onto his shares, betting that Alphabet’s exposure to online advertising will eventually justify its above-average valuation. Alphabet trades at 26.6 times future earnings, compared with 18.5 for the S&P 500.

Scott Goginsky, a portfolio manager of the Biondo Focus fund, has held off adding to a longstanding position over the last year, concerned that the company’s costs are likely to increase due to its efforts to pre-empt any additional regulatory measures from Washington. That could cut into the margins of businesses like YouTube if it needs to hire additional workers to vet user-posted content, he said. Alphabet is scheduled to report fourth-quarter earnings on February 3. In its latest report, the company missed analysts’ estimates for thirdquarter profit by about $1.7 billion, though it beat revenue expectations.