Five Tech Stocks That Billionaires Are Betting On This Year

During the fourth quarter, the number of billionaires bullish on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) declined to 17 from 18, while the aggregate value of their holdings remained almost unchanged at $10.56 billion. Billionaire Carl Icahn‘s Icahn Capital cut its stake in the tech behemoth by 14% on the quarter to 45.76 million shares, while Chase Coleman’s fund initiated a new position containing 10.60 million shares.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s stock has declined by slightly more than 7% since the beginning of the year, being dragged by both a broader market sell-off and investors concerns about the future of the company’s iPhone sales. iPhone sales growth remained flat last quarter, which was the slowest rate since the launch of the product in 2007. The company still registered record revenue and profits, but investors are worried that the revenue might be lower this year, since the iPhone sales account for around two-thirds of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s revenue. Nevertheless, Apple pays a good dividend of $0.52 per share and has enough cash on its balance sheet to increase its capital return program and to invest in R&D to attract more buyers. However, the company’s future also depends on the macroeconomic factors, particularly in China, which represents Apple’s second-largest market.

Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)‘s both classes of stock ranked among billionaires’ most popular tech stocks. A total of 18 billionaires reported holding both Class A and Class C stocks, while the aggregate value of positions in the class A stock amounted to $5.64 billion and total value of class C positions stood at $5.32 billion at the end of December. Among the billionaires bullish on Alphabet are Andreas Halvorsen, Ken Fisher, and Ken Griffin.

Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s class A and Class C shares have gained around 28% and 26% over the last 52 weeks, respectively. Alphabet’s market cap managed to briefly surpass Apple’s earlier this year as the company posted solid results for the last quarter. The company is still generating the largest revenue from search and online advertising, but with the transition of users to mobile, the long-term horizon of these segments seems uncertain. Nevertheless, what makes Alphabet a good bet is its diversification in other industries, such as Internet of Things (Nest), automotive (driverless cars) and robotics (Boston Dynamics). The last segment has been in the spotlight recently, as Boston Dynamics has presented a new humanoid Atlas robot. Even though, Boston Dynamics and other segments might not have a positive impact on Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s top line any time soon, they represent excellent hedging for its core business.