We recently published a list of 7 Best American Stocks To Buy and Hold in 2024. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) stands against other best American stocks to buy and hold in 2024.
Neutral Stance Amid Uncertainties
The tech sector has been showing positive performance amid market concerns, driven by improved earnings estimates and substantial investments in artificial intelligence. Approximately 40% of operating cash flow is currently allocated to AI, raising questions about when these investments will begin to yield returns. The strong profit margins of mega-cap stocks, averaging over 23%, compared to just over 8.5% for other sectors, suggest continued capital inflows into tech companies demonstrating earnings strength. While some consolidation and growth slowdown may occur, there is confidence that investor sentiment will eventually lead to a resurgence in these stocks.
As sentiments shift regarding major tech stocks, other profitable tech companies are maintaining positive momentum in the market. There was a conversation regarding this, covered a few days back in our article about the 10 Most Profitable NASDAQ Stocks To Invest In, where Jason Snipe, Odyssey Capital Advisors principal, discussed the tech sector’s mega-cap momentum, particularly in light of recent mega-cap stock downgrades and significant investor outflows. Here’s an excerpt from his sentiment:
“…This focus on AI has contributed to some recent downgrades but also suggests continued upside potential for select names within the sector.
…He acknowledged that while there may be some consolidation and a slowdown in growth, he believes that investors’ muscle memory will eventually lead to a resurgence in these stocks.
Snipe’s analysis underscores the complexities facing the tech sector amid market volatility and evolving economic conditions. While challenges persist, particularly with mega-cap stocks experiencing downgrades, there are also significant opportunities driven by innovation and strong profit margins that could support continued growth in this space…”
Katie Stockton, Fairlead Strategies founder, joined CNBC’s ‘Closing Bell’ on October 17 and highlighted that there’s a likelihood that the markets could move into choppier territory. Katie Stockton characterized her stance as neutral regarding the indices despite the strength of the trend and the participation of most stocks on the upside. She noted that while short-term momentum is currently positive, particularly behind major indices, there are concerns about potential problems if key players like NVIDIA falter. She highlighted that sentiment appears overly bullish or greedy, as evidenced by the Fear and Greed Index reaching an extreme level of 5%. This situation makes it challenging for the market to sustain overbought conditions, which are prevalent across various timeframes.
Stockton anticipates a pullback or possibly a more significant corrective phase in the fourth quarter for the S&P 500, suggesting that this could mark the beginning of a range-bound environment. She pointed to indicators such as the VIX, which has entered a new higher volatility cycle, and mentioned signs of long-term exhaustion indicated by the DeMark indicators, levels not seen collectively since late 2021. While this does not necessarily signal an impending bear market, it does enhance the likelihood of experiencing a choppier trading environment.
When asked about the recent performance of banks and cyclical stocks compared to defensive stocks, Stockton acknowledged that while there has been a positive move from the financial sector contributing to the S&P 500’s recent gains, it is too early to conclude that this represents a breakout in relative strength for financials. She indicated that most metrics suggest financials will likely perform in line with broader market trends rather than leading them. Furthermore, she expressed concern that mega-cap sectors are poised to lose their leadership position, which could pose challenges to overall market performance.
Regarding small-cap stocks, Stockton noted that while the Russell 2000 index made another attempt at an upside move, closing close to 2,300 with a 1.6% increase, long-term trends still indicate underperformance relative to the S&P 500. She pointed out that there has not been a breakout in the Russell 2000, which remains stalled below resistance levels established during summer highs. Consequently, she does not see actionable opportunities in small caps at this time and anticipates neutral trading conditions for this segment.
On the topic of bonds, Stockton mentioned that Treasury yields have shown some upside momentum but backed off recently. She sees potential entry points in Treasury bond proxies like TLT (iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF), suggesting signs of short-term downside exhaustion within a broader long-term uptrend for fixed income. She believes there is an opportunity for investors to enter Treasury bond proxies now, while also expecting yields to stall without significant long-term declines.
Her insights highlight her focus on maintaining balance amid prevailing uncertainties in both equity and bond markets.
Methodology
To find the best American stocks, we used Insider Monkey’s proprietary database to find US stocks that were the most popular among elite hedge funds. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as of Q2 2024. The hedge fund data was sourced from Insider Monkey’s database which tracks the moves of over 900 elite money managers.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A user’s hands typing a search query into a Google Search box, emphasizing the company’s search capabilities.
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 216
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is a technology conglomerate that holds a majority stake in Google, managing its diverse range of businesses, which include Google Search, Google Cloud, YouTube, Waymo, and Verily, with a primary focus on innovation and organizing the world’s information, making it universally accessible and useful.
Google Cloud revenue increased by 28.8% in the second quarter of 2024, contributing to a 13.59% overall revenue growth. Google’s ad revenue increased to $48.5 billion in Q2, accounting for almost 60% of the company’s sales for the quarter. Besides Google, YouTube’s ad sales increased to $8.7 billion. Net income was $23.6 billion.
In October, Google, along with Amazon and Microsoft, is investing in nuclear power to meet the growing energy demands of their data centers, fueled by the expansion of AI services. These tech giants are seeking clean energy alternatives to reduce their carbon footprints and support their sustainability goals. Nuclear power is seen as a promising option due to its reliability and ability to provide large-scale energy production.
The company’s ambitious future is further strengthened as we see that Bill Ackman, a renowned investor, has invested over 20% of his portfolio in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL). Wall Street analysts are also bullish on Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL), predicting a 20% increase in its stock price within the next year.
AI infrastructure and GenAI tools have generated billions in revenue year-to-date, used by over 2 million developers. Google, dominating the search engine market (91.06%), plans to invest $50 billion in AI by 2024. Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) dominance in search, growing cloud business, and AI investments position it for continued success. Strong financials and positive analyst sentiment make it a promising investment option.
Patient Capital Opportunity Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) was a top contributor in the second quarter, finally catching up to its peers in the Magnificent 7. The company gained 20.8% in the period following strong first quarter earnings, a new $70B repurchase program (3% of shares outstanding) and the initiation of a cash dividend ($0.20 per share; 0.42% yield). We continue to believe the market underappreciates Google’s exposure to AI with its Gemini model being integrated into search results, YouTube advertising and its cloud offering. We continue to think that the cloud players will be the AI winners in the long-term, with Google being well positioned to take advantage. While the company trades at 24x 2024 earnings, if you remove the money-losing and under-earning businesses, you realize that you are paying below a market multiple for the core Google business. We do not believe there are many other AI winners trading at such an attractive multiple.”
Overall, GOOGL ranks 4th on our list of best American stocks to buy and hold in 2024. While we acknowledge the potential of GOOGL as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than GOOGL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.