Warren Buffett’s $5 Billion Alphabet Bet, Bitcoin ETF Outflows and a Netflix Stock Split: What’s Driving Today’s Hottest Tickers (17 November 2025)

On Monday, 17 November 2025, markets are buzzing around a handful of big themes: Warren Buffett’s rare new tech bet on Alphabet, fresh signals from Berkshire Hathaway’s latest 13F filing, and intense trading in Alphabet, Bitcoin, Netflix, Alibaba and WPP – the names topping Yahoo Finance UK’s trending ticker list today. ^[1]

Below is a breakdown of what’s happening, why it matters, and how analysts are thinking about “Buffett stocks” in the wake of this latest portfolio shake-up.

Buffett’s Rare Tech Pivot: Inside Berkshire’s New Alphabet Stake

Berkshire Hathaway’s Q3 2025 13F filing, published on 14 November, confirmed what had been rumoured for days: the conglomerate has opened a major new position in Alphabet, Google’s parent company. As of 30 September, Berkshire owned about 17.85 million Alphabet shares, a stake initially valued at roughly $4.3 billion and now worth close to $5 billion after the latest rally. ^[2]

On Monday, Alphabet shares jumped more than 5% after Reuters reported the new Berkshire position, putting the stock up around 46% year‑to‑date and cementing it as one of the standout “Magnificent Seven” winners of 2025. ^[3]

A few key points from the filing and follow‑up coverage:

Tech, but on Buffett’s terms. Alphabet is now a top‑10 U.S. equity holding for Berkshire, even as the firm continues to warn about stretched valuations in certain AI‑linked names. Alphabet’s mix of dominant search, YouTube, and fast‑growing cloud (Google Cloud) appears to fit Berkshire’s preference for durable cash flows and strong competitive moats, rather than speculative AI pure‑plays. ^[4]
Apple trimmed again – but still king. Berkshire reduced its Apple stake further in Q3, but the iPhone maker remains Berkshire’s single largest holding, worth around the mid‑$60‑billion range at quarter‑end. Analysts see the Alphabet purchase as diversification at the margin rather than a wholesale rotation out of Apple. ^[5]
Record cash and net selling. The 13F shows Berkshire managing about $267 billion in reportable equities across 41 holdings, with the top ten names making up nearly 87% of the portfolio. At the same time, the company has been a net seller of stocks for 12 straight quarters, allowing cash to swell to a record $380+ billion. ^[6]

All of this unfolds against the backdrop of a historic transition: Warren Buffett is due to step down as CEO at the end of 2025, with long‑time lieutenant Greg Abel set to take over on 1 January. ^[7]

The Alphabet move is widely being read as one of Buffett’s last big swings at the helm – and a strong endorsement of large‑cap tech when the price and business model line up with Berkshire’s value discipline.

What Berkshire’s Latest 13F Says About the Post‑Buffett Strategy

Beyond the flashy new Alphabet stake, the Q3 2025 13F offers a clear snapshot of how Berkshire is positioning into the next era:

Selective risk‑on, broad risk‑off. Berkshire bought roughly $6.4 billion of equities but sold about $12.5 billion during the quarter, reinforcing its tilt toward caution despite a booming S&P 500. ^[8]
Trimming financials and cyclicals. The firm continued shaving positions in Apple and Bank of America, and fully exited U.S. homebuilder D.R. Horton, underscoring concerns about rich valuations and a cooling housing cycle. ^[9]
Leaning into quality “compounders.” Berkshire increased stakes in Chubb and Domino’s Pizza, and has been building exposure to healthcare name UnitedHealth Group, moves consistent with a preference for cash‑generative, relatively recession‑resilient franchises. ^[10]

The combined picture is of a firm hoarding optionality (via cash) while still being willing to write very large cheques for assets it sees as mispriced relative to long‑term earnings power. Alphabet slots into that narrative neatly: a dominant platform business with strong free cash flow and a valuation that, while not cheap in absolute terms, screens as less aggressive than some AI‑mania peers. ^[11]

Morningstar’s “3 Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy” After the 13F Update

Morningstar followed the 13F release with a feature titled “3 Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy After Berkshire’s Latest 13F Update”, published 15 November 2025. The full article is behind a paywall, but Morningstar’s own tools and related coverage make it clear that Constellation Brands (STZ) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) are among the highlighted names. ^[12]

Constellation Brands (STZ): Defensive Consumer Powerhouse

Constellation Brands – the company behind brands such as Modelo and Corona in many markets – has been a quiet but important Berkshire holding. Morningstar notes: ^[13]

It carries a “wide moat” rating, reflecting strong brand equity and pricing power in premium beer and spirits.
Berkshire raised its stake earlier in 2025, and Constellation still screens as undervalued versus Morningstar’s fair value estimate, despite resilient fundamentals.
Management continues to pivot toward higher‑margin premium products, a pattern that tends to appeal to Buffett’s taste for category‑leading consumer names (think Coca‑Cola).

For investors, Constellation sits at the intersection of defensive demand (alcohol consumption tends to be relatively stable through cycles) and long‑term premiumisation trends in beverages.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH): Wide‑Moat Healthcare at a Discount

Berkshire’s interest in UnitedHealth became public in mid‑2025, when filings revealed a stake of about $1.6 billion, or roughly 5 million shares at the time. ^[14]

Morningstar’s models point to several supportive factors:

UnitedHealth runs a top‑tier health insurance franchise (UnitedHealthcare) plus the high‑growth Optum services business, giving it a diversified earnings base. ^[15]
Despite regulatory overhangs and cost‑pressure headlines, analysts see long‑term cash flows as robust, with the stock trading at a discount to their fair value estimate after a difficult 12–18 months. ^[16]

UnitedHealth fits squarely in the classic Buffett bucket: scale, recurring revenue, and barriers to entry, with the current pessimism arguably offering a long‑term entry point.

The “Third Stock” – and the Pattern Behind the Picks

Morningstar has not publicly listed all three names outside its paywalled channels, so it’s not possible to definitively identify the third pick without subscription access. What is clear from cross‑referenced research is the general pattern: the firm is gravitating toward wide‑moat, cash‑generative Berkshire holdings that have lagged the broader market and trade below intrinsic value estimates, with housing name Lennar and other defensives frequently appearing in related commentary. ^[17]

In other words, the message is less about any single ticker and more about using Berkshire’s portfolio as a hunting ground for quality companies temporarily out of favour.

Why Alphabet, Bitcoin, Netflix, Alibaba and WPP Are Today’s Trending Tickers

Yahoo Finance UK’s trending list for Monday puts Alphabet, Bitcoin, Netflix, Alibaba and WPP in the spotlight – each for very different reasons. ^[18]

Alphabet (GOOGL/GOOG): The “Buffett Bump”

Alphabet is the epicentre of today’s market narrative. The stock is:

Up roughly 5% intraday after news that Berkshire now holds nearly 18 million shares, forming a stake approaching $5 billion. ^[19]
Up about 46% year‑to‑date, outpacing the S&P 500, as investors bet on sustained growth in search, YouTube, and cloud – and on management’s ability to discipline soaring AI costs. ^[20]

Alphabet’s strong free‑cash‑flow profile is part of why Buffett finally pulled the trigger after years of saying he regretted missing Google in Berkshire’s early days as an Apple shareholder. ^[21]

Bitcoin (BTC): Record ETF Outflows and Talk of a “Mini Bear Market”

Bitcoin is back on the trending list for the wrong reasons:

Prices have slipped to around $95,000–96,000, leaving the token roughly one‑third below its early‑October peak despite ongoing strength in tech equities. ^[22]
Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw about $1.1 billion in net outflows last week, according to multiple flow trackers – the second‑largest monthly outflow year‑to‑date, with November only half over. ^[23]

Analysts warn this combination of price weakness plus ETF redemptions could mark the start of a “mini bear market” within the broader Bitcoin cycle, even as some traders frame the sub‑$100k level as a discount zone after the 2025 run‑up. ^[24]

Netflix (NFLX): 10‑for‑1 Stock Split Sparks Retail Frenzy

Netflix is trending as it begins trading today on a 10‑for‑1 split‑adjusted basis:

The split effectively cuts the share price by 90% while multiplying the share count by 10 – leaving the company’s overall market value unchanged. ^[25]
Retail‑trading chatter focuses on whether the lower nominal share price can ignite a year‑end rally, with some platforms noting heightened interest from small accounts. ^[26]

Most analysts emphasise a simple point: nothing about Netflix’s underlying earnings, growth prospects, or valuation multiples changes because of the split. The move mainly improves index and options mechanics and makes individual shares more “affordable‑looking” to small investors.

Alibaba (BABA): U.S. National Security Concerns and Volatile Rebound

Alibaba’s inclusion on the trending list reflects a storm of geopolitical and regulatory headlines:

A White House national security memo – reported by the Financial Times and discussed by several research outlets – alleges Alibaba supplies the Chinese government, including the military, with technology and data services. ^[27]
The company has strongly denied the allegations, but the news sparked sharp selling and renewed worries about U.S. sanctions or investment restrictions. ^[28]
On Monday, one widely read note highlighted that Alibaba shares were down nearly 4% in early trading, even as some retail traders tried to buy the dip based on valuation metrics such as a mid‑teens forward P/E and low beta. ^[29]

For investors, Alibaba remains a classic high‑uncertainty situation: the underlying e‑commerce and cloud businesses are solid, but headline risk tied to U.S.‑China relations is substantial and hard to model.

WPP: Takeover Speculation Lifts a Struggling Advertising Giant

UK advertising group WPP has had a brutal 2025, but it’s suddenly back in focus:

Shares jumped between 3% and 6% on Monday after the Sunday Times reported that French rival Havas and private equity firms Apollo and KKR had shown takeover interest. ^[30]
Even after the pop, the stock is still down more than 60% year‑to‑date, trading near multi‑decade lows after an October profit warning and another cut to 2025 revenue guidance. ^[31]

New CEO Cindy Rose, who took over earlier this autumn, has branded recent performance “unacceptable” and launched a sweeping restructuring aimed at simplifying the business and accelerating investment in AI‑driven marketing tools. Job cuts are widely expected as part of the turnaround. ^[32]

WPP’s appearance on the trending list reflects the tug‑of‑war between deep‑value buyers, event‑driven M&A speculators, and long‑suffering shareholders who have watched the group lose ground to rivals like Publicis.

What Today’s Moves Mean for Investors

Putting the day’s headlines together, three big themes stand out:

Quality Tech vs. AI Mania
- Buffett’s Alphabet stake underlines that not all big‑cap tech is off the menu for value investors – but price, competitive advantage and cash‑generation still matter. Alphabet offers exposure to AI and cloud with a business model that can self‑fund its capex and buybacks.
- For stock‑pickers, the takeaway is to separate durable platforms from hype‑driven names whose valuations assume flawless execution.
Flows and Sentiment Can Overpower Fundamentals – Especially in Crypto
- Bitcoin’s latest slide shows how ETF flows and macro headlines can drive large short‑term moves even when long‑term narratives (digital gold, institutional adoption) haven’t obviously changed.
- Investors using crypto as a portfolio diversifier need to size positions assuming extreme volatility and policy risk, not just price upside.
Buffett’s Portfolio as an Idea Factory – But Not a Free Pass
- Morningstar’s focus on Constellation Brands and UnitedHealth illustrates how Buffett’s holdings can be a starting list for fundamental research on wide‑moat, cash‑rich businesses that might be mis‑priced.
- At the same time, the troubles at WPP and the controversy around Alibaba show that not every trending value story is a simple bargain; governance, regulation, and structural industry changes all matter as much as headline valuation multiples.

Final Word

None of the developments on 17 November 2025 – from Berkshire’s Alphabet bet to Bitcoin ETF outflows or Netflix’s stock split – are, on their own, a reason to rush into or out of any single asset. But together, they paint a vivid picture of where capital and attention are flowing at a pivotal moment: the twilight of Buffett’s tenure, the next phase of the AI boom, and a market still wrestling with geopolitics and post‑pandemic behaviour shifts.

As always, this overview is for information and education only, not personalised investment advice. Anyone considering these names should look beyond the day’s headlines and run their own numbers on earnings power, balance sheets, and risk tolerance.

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