Communication Services · Shares inside your ETFs
Alphabet in your ETF: how much you own, and the share price
Google’s parent company is in almost every US and world index fund, twice over, because funds hold two of its share classes. Here’s its share price, how its shares have done, and how much of it sits inside the ETFs UK investors can buy.
By The Off-Duty Economist Last reviewed Fund holdings to 31 August 2026
The short version
- Alphabet, Google's parent company, was about 5.4% of an S&P 500 ETF at the end of August 2026, split between two share classes.
- Communication services ETFs hold the most: 28% to 31% of each of the three below.
- US technology ETFs don't hold it at all. Since 2018 Alphabet has been classed as Communication Services, not Information Technology.
- $100 in Alphabet's Class C shares at the end of 2020 was worth about $361 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested.
Part of Shares inside your ETFs, which covers one company from each of the 11 stock market sectors. New to funds? Start with what an ETF is.
- 5.4%of an S&P 500 ETF is Alphabet, counting both share classes (31 August 2026)
- £54of every £1,000 in an S&P 500 ETF goes into Alphabet
- 2Alphabet share classes held by most index funds: Class A and Class C
Alphabet's share price today
Alphabet has two listed share classes on Nasdaq in New York: Class A, ticker GOOGL, and Class C, ticker GOOG. Prices are in US dollars. The live chart below follows the Class A shares.
Alphabet (GOOGL) live share price
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Your choice is remembered on this device. Prices are in US dollars.
Which ETFs hold Alphabet?
Index funds that cover US or world shares hold Alphabet because they buy companies in proportion to their size. The table shows 12 large ETFs that UK investors can buy on the London Stock Exchange, with Alphabet’s share of each. Most hold both its Class A and Class C shares, so the figures add the two together.
It’s a list of which funds hold Alphabet and how much, not a list of funds to buy. Each fund’s name links to its full profile.
| Fund | What it tracks | London tickers | Alphabet's share | Alphabet in every £1,000 | Yearly charge | Fund size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Street SPDR S&P U.S. Communication Services Select Sector UCITS ETF | US communication services companies in the S&P 500 | GXLC / SXLC | 31.08% (17.30% Class A + 13.78% Class C) | £311 | 0.15% | £241m |
| Xtrackers MSCI World Communication Services UCITS ETF 1C | Communication services companies in the MSCI World | XSSW / XWTS | 29.46% (16.50% Class A + 12.96% Class C) | £295 | 0.25% | £356m |
| iShares S&P 500 Communication Sector UCITS ETF USD (Acc) | US communication services companies in the S&P 500 | IUCM | 28.17% (15.68% Class A + 12.49% Class C) | £282 | 0.15% | £960m |
| Invesco EQQQ Nasdaq-100 UCITS ETF | Nasdaq-100 | EQQQ / EQQU | 6.28% (3.26% Class A + 3.02% Class C) | £63 | 0.30% | £11.0bn |
| iShares Nasdaq 100 UCITS ETF (Acc) | Nasdaq-100 | CNX1 / CNDX | 6.05% (3.14% Class A + 2.91% Class C) | £60 | 0.30% | £22.6bn |
| HSBC S&P 500 UCITS ETF USD | S&P 500 | HSPX / HSPD | 5.50% (3.06% Class A + 2.44% Class C) | £55 | 0.09% | £7.8bn |
| Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (USD) Distributing | S&P 500 | VUSA / VUSD | 5.40% (3.01% Class A + 2.39% Class C) | £54 | 0.07% | £40.7bn |
| iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF USD (Acc) | S&P 500 | CSP1 / CSPX | 5.39% (3.00% Class A + 2.39% Class C) | £54 | 0.07% | £119.5bn |
| iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Acc) | MSCI World (developed markets) | SWDA / IWDA | 3.88% (2.17% Class A + 1.71% Class C) | £39 | 0.20% | £112.8bn |
| Vanguard FTSE Developed World UCITS ETF Distributing | FTSE Developed (developed markets) | VEVE / VDEV | 3.62% (1.99% Class A + 1.63% Class C) | £36 | 0.12% | £3.6bn |
| iShares MSCI All Country World UCITS ETF USD (Acc) | MSCI ACWI (developed and emerging markets) | SSAC / ISAC | 3.40% (1.90% Class A + 1.50% Class C) | £34 | 0.20% | £27.2bn |
| Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF (USD) Distributing | FTSE All-World (developed and emerging markets) | VWRL / VWRD | 3.31% (1.87% Class A + 1.44% Class C) | £33 | 0.14% | £20.5bn |
Holdings are as at 31 August 2026 (26 August for Invesco EQQQ and 28 August for HSBC S&P 500). Fund sizes are in pounds. Where a fund has two London tickers, the first is priced in pounds or pence and the second in US dollars; iShares S&P 500 Communication has a dollar line only.
Alphabet is nearly a third of a communication services ETF, and 3% to 6% of a broad index ETF
Alphabet's share of each fund's holdings
- Communication services funds
- Broad index funds
Source: fund holdings from justETF, consulted 14 October 2026. Holdings as at 31 August 2026 (26 August for Invesco EQQQ, 28 August for HSBC S&P 500). Both share classes counted. Weights change every day. Chart: Invest in ETFs.
Show the data
| Fund (ticker) | Alphabet's share | In every £1,000 | Holdings as at |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPDR US Communication Services (GXLC) | 31.08% | £311 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Xtrackers World Communication (XSSW) | 29.46% | £295 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| iShares S&P 500 Communication (IUCM) | 28.17% | £282 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Invesco EQQQ Nasdaq-100 (EQQQ) | 6.28% | £63 | 26 Aug 2026 |
| iShares Nasdaq 100 (CNX1) | 6.05% | £60 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| HSBC S&P 500 (HSPX) | 5.50% | £55 | 28 Aug 2026 |
| Vanguard S&P 500 (VUSA) | 5.40% | £54 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| iShares Core S&P 500 (CSP1) | 5.39% | £54 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| iShares Core MSCI World (SWDA) | 3.88% | £39 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Vanguard FTSE Developed World (VEVE) | 3.62% | £36 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| iShares MSCI ACWI (SSAC) | 3.40% | £34 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Vanguard FTSE All-World (VWRL) | 3.31% | £33 | 31 Aug 2026 |
The three communication services funds hold between 24 and 63 companies each, so Alphabet, Meta and Netflix take up much of each one. A world fund spreads the same Alphabet holding across more than a thousand companies.
Why your fund holds two Alphabet shares
Alphabet has three classes of shares. Its annual report sets out how they differ:
- Class A (GOOGL): one vote per share, listed on Nasdaq.
- Class C (GOOG): no votes, except where the law requires them, listed on Nasdaq since 2014.
- Class B: ten votes per share, not listed or traded. At the end of 2025 the founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, owned about 89% of these, giving them about 53% of the voting power.
S&P Dow Jones Indices decided in 2014 to include both listed classes in the S&P 500, and in 2015 to include every listed share class of a company as a separate line. So index funds hold both GOOGL and GOOG, and their holdings lists show Alphabet twice. Add the two together to see how much of the fund is Alphabet.
For a fund investor, the difference barely matters: both lines own a slice of the same company. The votes stay with Class B, so control of Alphabet stays with its founders whichever class your fund holds.
Why technology ETFs don't hold Alphabet
Alphabet feels like a technology company, but for index purposes it isn’t one. In 2018 the GICS system that most index providers use widened its telecoms sector into Communication Services, and moved Alphabet and Facebook into it from Information Technology. GICS groups search engines and social media with media companies, as platforms whose revenue comes mainly from advertising.
US technology-sector ETFs follow GICS, so they don’t hold Alphabet at all. The iShares S&P 500 Information Technology Sector ETF, for example, tracks US companies in the Information Technology sector “as defined by” GICS. If you want Alphabet in a sector fund, it’s the communication services funds above that hold it.
How Alphabet shares have done
Alphabet’s 2026 proxy statement, the document it sends shareholders before its annual meeting, shows what $100 invested in its Class C shares at the end of 2020 was worth at the end of each year since, with dividends reinvested. It compares Alphabet with the RDG Internet Composite, an index of US internet companies.
$100 in Alphabet at the end of 2020 was worth about $361 by the end of 2025
Value at each year end of $100 invested at the end of 2020, with dividends reinvested: Alphabet Class C shares against an index of US internet companies
- Alphabet Class C (GOOG)
- RDG Internet Composite
Source: Alphabet Inc. proxy statement, 24 April 2026, pay versus performance table: value of an initial fixed $100 investment in Class C shares and in the RDG Internet Composite, which Alphabet uses as its comparison index. Rounded to the nearest dollar. Chart: Invest in ETFs.
Show the data
| Period | Alphabet Class C (GOOG) | RDG Internet Composite | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of 2020 to end of 2021 | $165 | $98 | Alphabet 2026 proxy statement |
| End of 2020 to end of 2022 | $101 | $59 | Alphabet 2026 proxy statement |
| End of 2020 to end of 2023 | $161 | $87 | Alphabet 2026 proxy statement |
| End of 2020 to end of 2024 | $218 | $115 | Alphabet 2026 proxy statement |
| End of 2020 to end of 2025 | $361 | $138 | Alphabet 2026 proxy statement |
The path wasn’t smooth. The $100 rose to about $165 by the end of 2021, fell back to about $101 a year later, almost where it started, then climbed to about $361 by the end of 2025. One company’s past is no guide to its future, which is why most investors hold a fund rather than a single share.
Alphabet paid no dividend at all until 2024. Its board started one in April 2024, at 20 cents a share, and in April 2026 declared a quarterly dividend of 22 cents a share.
Alphabet and the Communication Services sector
Communication Services covers telecoms companies, plus media and entertainment: TV and film, publishing, video games, and online platforms such as search engines and social media. It was 9.9% of an S&P 500 ETF, 8.2% of a world ETF and 2.1% of a FTSE 100 ETF on 13 October 2026, using GICS sectors.
Alphabet is one company in our series picking one share from each of the 11 stock market sectors. See all 11 sectors and what each one covers.
Alphabet shares or an ETF that holds Alphabet?
You can own Alphabet directly, by buying its shares, or indirectly, through a fund. Here’s how the two compare for a UK investor, using an S&P 500 ETF as the example.
| Alphabet shares | An S&P 500 ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| What you own | Part of one company | Part of about 500 US companies, with Alphabet about 5.4% |
| If Alphabet's shares fell by a fifth | Your holding falls by a fifth | Alphabet's fall alone takes about 1.1% off the fund |
| Where it trades | Nasdaq, in US dollars | London Stock Exchange, in pounds or dollars |
| Stamp duty | Not normally due on foreign shares bought outside the UK | None on ETFs (what an ETF costs) |
| US tax on dividends | Usually 15% held back once you've signed a W-8BEN form | Handled inside the fund |
| In a stocks and shares ISA | Yes. Nasdaq is a recognised stock exchange | Yes |
| Yearly cost of holding | No fund charge; platform fees may apply | From 0.07% a year, plus platform fees |
Either way, Alphabet is a US company priced in dollars, so changes in the pound against the dollar affect what your holding is worth in pounds.
Common questions
- What’s the difference between GOOGL and GOOG?
- GOOGL is Alphabet’s Class A share, with one vote per share. GOOG is its Class C share, with no votes. Both are listed on Nasdaq and own the same company, and most index funds hold both.
- Which ETFs hold the most Alphabet?
- Of the funds above, the communication services funds: 28% to 31% of each at the end of August 2026. A broad S&P 500 or Nasdaq-100 fund holds about 5% to 6%, and a world fund about 3% to 4%.
- Why isn’t Alphabet in technology ETFs?
- Since 2018 the GICS system has classed it as Communication Services, not Information Technology, so technology-sector funds that follow GICS don’t hold it.
- Does Alphabet pay a dividend?
- Yes, since 2024. In April 2026 it declared a quarterly dividend of 22 cents a share. Through an ETF, the fund collects it: a distributing fund pays it out to you and an accumulating fund reinvests it.
- Can Alphabet shares go in an ISA?
- Yes. Shares count for a stocks and shares ISA if they’re officially listed on a recognised stock exchange, and HMRC lists Nasdaq as one. The ETFs in the table can go in an ISA too.
Before you rely on this page
Sources
- justETF fund profiles for the 12 funds in the table, linked from each fund's name. Consulted 14 October 2026; holdings as at the dates given.
- Alphabet Inc., annual report on Form 10-K for 2025 (share classes, voting rights and listings), and proxy statement, 24 April 2026 (pay versus performance table), US Securities and Exchange Commission
- Alphabet Inc., first quarter results: 2024 (first dividend) and 2026 (dividend of $0.22)
- S&P Dow Jones Indices: treatment of multiple share classes (March 2014) and methodology update (August 2015)
- S&P Dow Jones Indices and MSCI, companies changing in the 2018 GICS revisions (January 2018)
- iShares S&P 500 Information Technology Sector UCITS ETF, BlackRock; sector weights of the iShares Core S&P 500, Core MSCI World and Core FTSE 100 ETFs as of 13 October 2026
- HM Revenue & Customs: stocks and shares investments for ISA managers and recognised stock exchanges; GOV.UK, tax when you buy shares
Sources checked 14 October 2026. Live prices from TradingView.