Alphabet Inc (GOOG)’s Chrome Said to Potentially Get Ad-Blocker

Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is trending on Thursday due to the news that the company’s Google unit is considering incorporating ad-blocking into its chrome browser. Specifically, both the mobile and the desktop chrome browser could allow users to filter ‘bad experience’ ads from websites such as auto-playing video ads with audio, pop-ups, etc. Although Google might harm itself in the short term given its ad distribution network, the company could come out ahead in the long run. By incorporating its own limited ad-blocker, Google might slow the adoption of more aggressive ad-blockers, which currently account for as much as 26% of all desktop users.

Chrome has almost 50% market share across all platforms. As it stands, the ad-blocking decision isn’t final and the next version might not have that feature. Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares are up modestly in the pre-market.

What Does The Smart Money Sentiment Say?

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Given its wide moat and sustainable competitive advantages, the smart money in general was bullish on Alphabet in Q4. Of the 742 top funds in our database, 126 were long Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) at the end of December, down 8 funds from the previous quarter. Those 126 funds make Alphabet one of the most widely held stocks by the smart money at the end of 2016.

The Bottom Line

Per sources, Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is considering joining the ad-blocking wave, with the company’s popular Chrome browser potentially sporting some ad-blocking features in its next edition/update. For more reading, check out ‘Cortana vs. Siri vs. Alexa vs. Google Assistant: The Best AI‘.

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