Alphabet Slides on Top Line Miss

Photo of Chris Lange
By Chris Lange Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.
Alphabet Slides on Top Line Miss

© Noah_Loverbear / Wikimedia Commons

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) reported third-quarter 2018 results after markets closed Thursday afternoon. For the quarter, the search giant posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $13.06 on revenues of $33.74 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $9.57 on revenues of $27.77 billion. Analysts were looking for EPS of $10.42 and revenues of $34.04 billion.

During the quarter, Traffic acquisition costs (TAC) to Google Network Members and distribution partners totaled $3.43 billion, up from $3.10 billion in the same period last year. Total TAC as a percent of Google advertising revenues was 70% for the quarter, down from 71%.

Paid clicks on Google properties increased 62% year over year and 10% quarter over quarter. The cost-per-click on Google properties decreased 28% year over year and 7% quarter over quarter.

[nativounit]

In terms of its segments Alphabet reported:

  • Google advertising revenues totaled $28.95 billion, up 20.3% year over year.
  • Google other revenues totaled $4.64 billion, up 29.2%.
  • Other Bets revenues totaled $146 million, up 24.8%.

Ruth Porat, CFO of Alphabet and Google, commented:

Our business continues to have strong momentum globally, led by mobile search and our many products that help billions of people every day. Alphabet revenues were $33.7 billion, up 21% versus the third quarter of 2017, and we remain focused on delivering on the opportunities we see.

Shares of Alphabet closed at $1,103.59, with a consensus analyst price target of $1,387.31 and a 52-week range of $984.00 to $1,291.44. Following the announcement, the stock was down over 2% at $1,074.68 in the after-hours session.

[wallst_email_signup]

Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

Our $500K AI Portfolio

See us invest in our favorite AI stock ideas for free

Our Investment Portfolio

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618