Know Your Brands: Alphabet Inc

Been wanting to invest in Google? 🤔 If you’re a user (and lover) of this tech giant, you might be curious about the company's other brands.  

Alphabet Inc. is not just a search engine; it actually operates as a holding company. Did you know that Google has invested in more than 200 brands? The company, through its subsidiaries, provides web-based search, advertisements, maps, software applications, mobile operating systems, consumer content, enterprise solutions, commerce, and hardware products. Phew! In short, Google is everywhere.

Here's a breakdown of their company holdings:

Disclaimer: The holdings may not be limited to the logos on the image and may change. The use of logos is for educational purpose only.

• Google Services refers to products and services such as ads, Android, Chrome, hardware, Google Maps, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. 
• Google Cloud covers Google’s infrastructure and platform services, collaboration tools, and other services for enterprise customers.
• Other Bets holds a combination of operating segments that are not individually material. Some of these other bets include GV (company), Waymo, X (Company), Verily, and Access and Energy, which has Google Fiber under it.

Revenue, buyback, and dividends 

By the fourth quarter of 2022, Alphabet reported $76 billion in revenue and $18 billion in net income, closing the period with a balance of $21 billion. Earnings per share reported for the period was $1.05. It’s important to note that the company hasn’t been paying dividends. In April 2022, Alphabet's board authorized a buyback program (valued at around $70 billion), for 2023. This comes after the 2021 and 2019 programs of $50 billion and $25 billion, respectively.

According to Alphabet: “Our long-term investments in deep computer science make us extremely well-positioned as AI reaches an inflection point, and I’m excited by the AI-driven leaps we’re about to unveil in Search and beyond. 

"... we will update our segment reporting relating to certain of Alphabet's AI activities. DeepMind, previously reported within Other Bets, will be reported as part of Alphabet's corporate costs, reflecting its increasing collaboration with Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets." View the company webcast here. 

Are they still expanding? 

Alphabet has been expanding over the past few years. In 2022, Alphabet acquired Siemplify, Mandiant, Raxium, Vicarious, MobiledgeX, Alter, BreezoMeter, BrightBytes, Sound Life Sciences, and Open Source Robotics Corporation.

The company further announced that it intends to expand its cloud services in the Middle East region.

Earnings 

Google released its earnings in April 2023.