Open Web Developer News Desk
Google Shares Gallop Thru $500
It Looks Like Google Is Back On Track to Be That $1,000 Stock
Apr. 21, 2008 03:30 PM
It looks like Google is back on track to be that $1,000
stock.
Having been in the $400 doldrums since February 22, it
crashed through $500 and clear into the $520s, up over 75 bucks in after-hours
trading Thursday on the strength of its over-the-top Q1 results and the fact
that its US
paid-clicks were up 20% year-over-year.
ComScore had given everyone a big scare on Wednesday when it
said that Google’s paid-clicks in the US, the source of its fortune, showed
weak, almost imperceptible growth for the third month in a row and were up just
1.8% for the whole first quarter, a nasty, nasty drop from the 45% Google
reported in the third quarter of last year or even its 30% growth in the fourth
quarter.
Of course, ComScore, whose credibility is now on the line,
only counts American Google search ads, not its AdSense business with
non-Google sites and certainly no non-US business.
And Google has fiddled with its click trying to improve
their quality and hence bring in more money.
Anyway, Google’s Q1 earnings were up 30% to $1.31 billion,
or $4.12 a share, on revenues of $3.7 billion – exclusive of the commissions
paid to partners – up 46%, numbers that were better than Wall Street expected
and perhaps a harbinger of better-than-expected results from Yahoo in a few
days.
Google got 51% of its revenues in Q1 from outside the US.
The weak dollar contributed $202 million in revenue, Google
said, and an unusually low tax rate contributed an estimated 23 cents to
earnings.
But Google CEO Eric Schmidt still claims to be insulated
from the US
slowdown.
“It’s clear we are well positioned for 2008 and beyond,
regardless of the business environment we are surrounded by,” he said during a
conference call.
About Maureen O'GaraMaureen O'Gara the most read technology reporter for the past 20 years, is the Cloud Computing and Virtualization News Desk editor of SYS-CON Media. She is the publisher of famous "Billygrams" and the editor-in-chief of "Client/Server News" for more than a decade. One of the most respected technology reporters in the business, Maureen can be reached by email at maureen(at)sys-con.com or paperboy(at)g2news.com, and by phone at 516 759-7025. Twitter: @MaureenOGara