Google wows investors with solid results

With advertising revenue still growing, Google plans to hire more people and build new data centres

On Thursday, Google posted second-quarter earnings that beat analyst expectations, as revenue from advertising continued to rise on market-share increases.


Net earnings for the quarter were $772m, or $2.49 per share, excluding one-time items such as stock-based compensation. Revenue was $1.68bn, excluding traffic-acquisition costs, which are commissions paid to content partners.


Analysts had expected Google to earn $2.22 per share on revenue of $1.65bn, according to a survey by Thomson Financial.


Including items, the California-based company earned $721m, or $2.33 a share, for the quarter ending on 30 June. That's up more than double from $342.8m, or $1.19 cents, a year earlier on the same basis.


Revenue including traffic-acquisition costs was $2.46bn, compared with $1.38bn a year earlier.


On a conference call with analysts, company executives said they were pleased. "We're very, very happy with having such a strong quarter in a seasonally weak period," chief executive Eric Schmidt said. "When I look at why this is happening, I see the evolution of our strategy in front of us over and over again. We start with one thing. We learn. We iterate. And that's the hallmark of how Google operates."


Chief financial officer George Reyes said: "Growth in both traffic and monetisation contributed to our performance this quarter," as well as continued growth in new advertiser customers.


Operating expenses, which totalled $652m, were due to spending on hiring; acquiring and leasing facilities; sales and marketing; research and development; and advertising, Reyes said.


The company plans "aggressive hiring and strategic distribution deals" in the third quarter, and Google will look to build and buy rather than lease data centres and real estate going forward, he said. "Margins may decline as we continue to invest in the business," Reyes said.


The company ended the quarter with nearly $10bn in cash. As a matter of policy, executives do not provide forward guidance.


Analysts were happy with Google's results. "Our first take is that Google's results were intrinsically strong, indicating a still robust search market, market share gains and solid execution," Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney wrote in a research note.


The results "show a more mature company and yet one that is still growing," said Safa Rashtchy of Piper Jaffray. "I think it will provide some stability to the sector as a whole."


At the close of regular trading, Google shares were down nearly 3 percent to $387.12. The earnings report was issued after the close of regular trading.


Google is the top search site with nearly half of all Web searches in the US in May, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.


On Tuesday, Yahoo posted second-quarter earnings that met analyst expectations and revenue that was shy of estimates. The stock fell after executives said the release of a new advertising platform was being delayed.



Related Links:

• Go back to category Internet & Networks to read more reviews and articles.
• Go back to Software Magazine's main page.