This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

The "Magnificent Seven" is a popular tag for the most dominant, high-performing tech companies on the planet.

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), (NASDAQ: GOOG), Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla have delivered market-crushing returns over the past decade, in large part because their businesses are on the forefront of the most disruptive technology macrotrends in modern history.

While all seven companies are juggernauts in their own right, one Magnificent Seven stock stands out due to its dominant core business, exposure to multiple megatrends, and attractive valuation relative to its cohorts.

That stock is Alphabet.

An unconventional company

There's something else that makes Alphabet different. Unlike the other members of the Magnificent Seven, Alphabet trades under two tickers: GOOG and GOOGL.

Why would Alphabet do that? A little history will provide some helpful context.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google (Alphabet's predecessor) in 1998. When Google filed its IPO paperwork in 2004, Page declared in a letter to prospective shareholders: "Google is not a conventional company. We do not intend to become one."

In that same letter, Page fretted that becoming a public company could undermine the independence and creative spirit that had been critical to Google's success. He also made it clear that the company would not "shy away from high-risk, high-reward projects" just to hit some arbitrary quarterly financial target.

To ensure that Page, Brin, and the rest of the executive team would retain "control over the company's decisions and fate," Google implemented a dual-class stock structure.

It's all about insider control

Common stock represents partial ownership in a company, and it usually comes with the right to vote on issues such as executive compensation, board members, and mergers and acquisitions. When Google debuted as a publicly traded company in August 2004, it used the dual class structure to concentrate 99% of the voting power in the hands of its founders, executives, and board members. Here's how:

• Each share of Class A common stock (available to regular investors) came with one vote.
• Each share of Class B common stock (held by founders and insiders) came with 10 votes.

At the time, Page acknowledged that this was an unconventional move for a tech company, although it wasn't uncommon for other types of businesses. Perhaps the most well-known example is Berkshire Hathaway. However, in the years since Google's 2004 IPO, a number of tech companies have adopted dual class structures to maintain insider control, including Meta Platforms, Palantir, and Roblox. .

This is where it gets a little confusing

In April 2014, Google added another layer of complexity to its share structure by way of a 2-for-1 stock split.

On April 2, 2014, Google's shareholders received one share of newly issued Class C stock for every share of Class A stock that they already owned.

Starting on April 3, 2014, two classes of Google stock were available to the public:

• Class A shares (GOOGL): One vote per share
• Class C shares (GOOG): No voting power

The important thing to note is the Class C shares don't come with voting rights. That was the whole point of the 2014 stock split. By issuing nonvoting Class C shares, Google could fund acquisitions and offer stock-based compensation and incentives without diluting executives' voting power.

To recap, this is the share structure that exists today:

• Class A shares (GOOGL): One vote per share
• Class B shares (held by insiders): 10 votes per share
• Class C shares (GOOG): No voting power

Should you buy GOOG or GOOGL?

Today, Google the search engine is just one piece of Alphabet, the umbrella company formed in 2015. What makes Alphabet such a compelling investment is that it's not just a search-engine provider. Owning Alphabet is a bit like owning an ETF with exposure to some of the biggest themes in tech -- from cloud computing and AI to autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity, and streaming. And as I alluded to earlier, Alphabet trades at a discount to its Magnificent Seven cohorts based on its forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio:

GOOG PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts

But there's still one question left to answer: Is GOOG or GOOGL the better investment?

Because GOOGL comes with voting rights, you'd think it would trade at a premium to its Class C sibling, GOOG. But interestingly enough, GOOG has outperformed GOOGL since April 3, 2014, ever-so-slightly:

GOOG data by YCharts

As of July 16, GOOG was priced at $183.77, just a hair above GOOGL at $182.97. So based on the recent price action, you could look at it this way: GOOGL gives you the same exposure to Alphabet's basket of businesses, but at a slightly lower price, with the added benefit of voting power.

In reality, most regular investors can't purchase enough shares to have any meaningful impact on the company's strategic direction through their votes. And because both tickers represent the same underlying security, there likely will never be any wide variation in price between the two. So unless you care deeply about voting rights, either ticker is a great way to invest in this Magnificent Seven standout.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

The post You Have $1,000 to Invest. Should You Buy GOOG or GOOGL? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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Josh Cable has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Palantir Technologies. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Palantir Technologies, Roblox, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a tech titan that needs no introduction. It's one of the most iconic -- and beloved -- brands on the planet, and it was the first publicly traded stock to reach $1 trillion, $2 trillion, and $3 trillion in market capitalization.

However, Apple stock has lost a bit of its luster this year, with tariff fears and a federal antitrust lawsuit weighing on investor sentiment. As of time of writing, the stock is down 14.5% in 2025, and it's down 3% over the past 12 months.

Is this a good time to pick up Apple shares at a discount? Here are three reasons why that could be a strong move for your portfolio.

Apple is a cash machine

While Apple stock may have temporarily lost some of its shine, Apple the company is still printing money -- and sitting on a mountain of cash. That's the first reason to buy Apple like there's no tomorrow.

In its fiscal 2025 second quarter, which ended March 29, Apple reported $95.4 billion in revenue, up 5% from the year-ago period. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) increased 8% to $1.65, a record high for Apple's January through March quarter.

In Q2, Apple's operating cash flow -- the cash generated from its core business operations -- was $24 billion. While that was about $3 billion less than what Nvidia generated in its fiscal 2026 first quarter, it's still an enormous cash stream that gives Apple the flexibility to invest in R&D, make strategic acquisitions, and reward shareholders.

And rewarding shareholders is where Apple really shines. Since fiscal 2012, Apple has returned nearly $1 trillion to shareholders through stock buybacks and dividends -- likely more than any company in history. In Q2 2025, Apple's board rubber-stamped another $100 billion in stock buybacks.

While Apple might not be the flashiest tech player in a market that's fixated on AI plays right now, it's still a cash-generating powerhouse with a shareholder-friendly track record that's unmatched by its peers.

Apple's services business is booming

The second reason to pile into Apple stock is its services business, which includes Apple Pay, Apple TV+, iCloud, and Apple Fitness+. In Q2, revenue from services jumped 12% to $26.6 billion, a record high for the company. While that was less than half the revenue from iPhone sales, services is Apple's most profitable segment, with a gross margin of nearly 76% in the second quarter -- double the gross margin for hardware.

Apple now boasts more than 1 billion paid subscriptions across its services -- a staggering figure that points to the strength and stickiness of its ecosystem. This is predictable, high-margin revenue that can smooth out the ebbs and flows of hardware sales. But it also has the potential to play an increasingly larger role in Apple's long-term growth, especially if Apple can successfully integrate generative AI into its services and create experiences that keep users even more deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem.

The AI opportunity

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Apple has been playing catch-up in the AI race, and that's likely one reason the share price has been under pressure this year. The company launched Apple Intelligence -- a new suite of generative AI features for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users -- in October 2024 and unveiled new AI capabilities in June. But Apple's plans to release a new AI-powered Siri with in-house technology by spring 2025 have been pushed back to 2026.

In a recent blog post, analysts Brian Baker and Gene Munster asserted that Apple's best option might be to acquire Perplexity, an AI-powered answer engine that's developing an agentic AI browser called Comet.

"Perplexity's strengths in AI search could help Apple develop a real alternative to Google Search -- especially useful with the FTC potentially threatening Apple's current multibillion-dollar default search deal with Google," the analysts wrote. "This could fast-track a seamless, AI-native search experience deeply tied into the OS across all Apple devices."

Whatever route Apple takes, the company is approaching the AI challenge from a position of strength, in my opinion. With its rock-solid core business and massive cash stockpile, Apple can afford to take its time to get AI right -- and make a strategic acquisition if necessary.

Apple is trading at a reasonable valuation

The third reason to buy Apple stock is its valuation, which stacks up favorably against other members of the Magnificent Seven.

AAPL PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts

On a forward basis, Apple is trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 29.7, which is lower than that of Nvidia, Tesla, Microsoft, and Amazon and slightly higher than Meta Platforms at 28.1. That seems like a fair valuation for a company with unparalleled brand loyalty, prolific cash flow, and a growing ecosystem of high-margin services.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

The post 3 reasons to buy Apple stock like there's no tomorrow appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Josh Cable has positions in Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.