Alphabet

Alphabet’s (GOOG, GOOGL) Google near-term operations are not expected to be disrupted by a recent court ruling that concluded that Google is a monopolist, Wedbush Securities analysts said in a note Wednesday. “The [US Department of Justice] has not formally communicated what possible remedies it may pursue, and proceedings will likely be held in the coming months to determine potential remedies,” the analysts, including Daniel Ives, said in the note. The analysts also took note of a Bloomberg report that the DOJ is considering a bid to break up Google. “We believe this would be a stretch and also Google will clearly appeal these rulings which will be in the court system for years possibly,” the analysts said. They said they continue to see a breakup of the Big Tech business models as “highly unlikely down the road.”

The US Department of Justice is considering options such as a bid to break up Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) unit Google after a recent court ruling found that the technology giant monopolized the online search market, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the deliberations. The company could be forced to share more data with competitors, with other possible options including steps to prevent it from gaining an unfair advantage in artificial intelligence products, the unnamed sources told the news outlet. If the DOJ proceeds with a breakup plan, the Android operating system and Google’s Chrome web browser could be the most likely units for divestment, the people reportedly said. Government officials are also considering forcing a sale of AdWords, one of the sources told Bloomberg. Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that Alphabet operated an illegal monopoly and violated US antitrust laws by spending tens of billions

Alphabet’s (GOOG, GOOGL) Google is purchasing a minority stake worth $350 million in Indian e-commerce company Flipkart, valuing the firm at $37 billion, Reuters reported Friday, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Flipkart announced Friday, as part of its latest funding round led by Walmart (WMT), that Google will become a minority investor pending regulatory and customary approvals from both parties. “Google’s proposed investment and its Cloud collaboration will help Flipkart expand its business and advance the modernization of its digital infrastructure to serve customers across the country,” Flipkart added. “As a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer helping people save money to live better, Walmart and Flipkart look forward to welcoming Google as a minority investor,” Walmart told MT Newswires.

Alphabet’s (GOOG, GOOGL) Google is purchasing a minority stake worth $350 million in Indian e-commerce company Flipkart, valuing the firm at $37 billion, Reuters reported Friday, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Flipkart announced Friday, as part of its latest funding round led by Walmart (WMT), that Google will become a minority investor pending regulatory and customary approvals from both parties. “Google’s proposed investment and its Cloud collaboration will help Flipkart expand its business and advance the modernization of its digital infrastructure to serve customers across the country,” Flipkart added.

Alphabet-owned (GOOGL, GOOG) Google’s potential deal to license its Gemini generative artificial intelligence for iPhones may be featured at Apple’s (AAPL) Worldwide Developers Conference in June, UBS Securities said Thursday in a report. “We now look to WWDC24 as the next potential catalyst venue” for the deal after the Google I/O annual developer conference concluded with no announcement, UBS said. As expected, UBS said I/O 2024 highlighted Gemini’s capabilities. “It seemed to us that Google was more keen this year to thematically and explicitly draw the link between Gemini and practical contextual utility across many of its apps,” the report said. “That Google is incorporating Gemini not just within its apps but also within the Android OS in our view underscores the reason why all hardware manufacturers should be weighing working with the company to drive innovation,” UBS said. UBS also said a broader rollout for Google’s AI Overviews is

Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) is in advanced discussions to acquire HubSpot (HUBS), negotiating terms of a potential deal, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The companies are still in talks, with no final agreement reached yet, and there’s no assurance that a deal will materialize, sources told Bloomberg, adding that another potential buyer could also emerge. HubSpot, specializing in customer relationship management for smaller businesses, currently has a market value of $30 billion, the report said. Last month, Reuters reported that Google parent Alphabet had engaged in discussions with bankers regarding a potential offer for HubSpot.

By Emily Bary Google parent puts ‘doomsday AI search share-loss fears’ to bed with latest earnings report Alphabet Inc.’s stock could see its second-best single-day performance in history on Friday, following an earnings report that drew effusive praise from analysts. Simply put, the company was “perfect,” in the view of Bernstein analyst Mark Shmulik. The Google parent company faced an interesting setup headed into the report. On one hand, its shares were near all-time highs. But at the same time, Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL) has spent the past year and a half drawing investor doubts over factors like its artificial-intelligence positioning and the future of its core search business in a world where AI queries come to dominate, wrote Shmulik, who has a market-perform rating on the stock. See also: Alphabet’s stock surges on first-ever cash dividend, $70 billion stock buyback, strong results He noted that the company’s results were buoyed

Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) shares were climbing on Friday after the company reported its first-quarter results amid a lot of hype around the AI revolution. The results came amid an exciting earnings season. Here are some key analyst takeaways from the release. Goldman Sachs On Alphabet Analyst Eric Sheridan reiterated a Buy rating while raising the price target from $185 to $195. Alphabet’s first-quarter results reflected higher-than-expected revenues from Search and YouTube, “as Google’s broader ad ecosystem benefited from a strong end demand environment and continued to demonstrate product innovation with Performance Max and YT Shorts,” Sheridan wrote in a note. “AI innovation continues to build scale in the advertising business (conversions, Performance Max and search generative experience),” he added. “Alphabet struck a multi-sided theme of investing for the long-term (highlighted by Q1 capex levels that would be sustained throughout 2024), upside in both Services and Cloud operating income margins as prior period

Alphabet’s (GOOG) Google properties are expected to grow by around $20 billion in 2024 as Search monetization steps up and YouTube recovers, UBS said Friday in a note to clients. The Search franchise is on track to accelerate and add $16 billion in revenue, while YouTube is set to recover and grow $5 billion in revenue this year, UBS said. “Overall, our revenue estimates march higher as we factor in quick acceleration in YouTube (where YouTube TV is gaining budgets from linear TV and seeing better YouTube Shorts monetization) and take off some of the conservatism in Search,” UBS said. UBS estimates 2024 Google Search revenue of $190.5 billion, versus the previous estimate of $187.2 billion, and YouTube Ads revenue of $36.6 billion, up from $35.3 billion. UBS raised Alphabet’s price target to $173 from $166 and maintained its neutral rating. Alphabet shares rose 9.4% in recent Friday trading.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) reported quarterly earnings of $1.89 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $1.51 by 25.17 percent. The company reported quarterly sales of $80.539 billion which beat the analystAlphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) reported quarterly earnings of $1.89 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $1.51 by 25.17 percent. The company reported quarterly sales of $80.539 billion which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $78.594 billion by 2.47 percent. This is a 15.41 percent increase over sales of $69.787 billion the same period last year.

Alphabet (GOOG) reported Q1 earnings late Thursday of $1.89 per diluted share, up from $1.17 a year earlier. Analysts polled by Capital IQ expected $1.51. Revenue in the quarter ended March 31 rose to $80.5 billion from $69.8 billion a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by Capital IQ expected $78.7 billion. Shares of the company surged 12% in after-hours activity.

By Jon Swartz Google parent Alphabet Inc.’s stock initially soared 14% in after-hours trading Thursday following huge spikes in revenue and net income that trounced analysts’ predictions – as well as its first-ever cash dividend of 20 cents per share. Alphabet’s board also authorized the repurchase of up to $70 billion in shares. The search-engine powerhouse reported a jump in first-quarter sales, chiefly through advertising, for total revenue of $80.54 billion, up 15% from $69.8 billion a year ago. Sales minus total acquisition costs (TAC) came in at $67.59 billion, compared with $58.07 billion a year ago. Alphabet (GOOGL) (GOOG) reported first-quarter net income of $23.66 billion, or $1.89 a share, compared with net income of $15.05 billion, or $1.17 a share, in the year-ago quarter. “Our results in the first quarter reflect strong performance from Search, YouTube and Cloud. We are well under way with our Gemini era and