Alphabet GOOGL came up with better-than-expected third-quarter earnings on Oct 29 after market close. Earnings of $2.12 per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.83 by 15.85%. This marks an improvement of 36.77% from earnings of $1.55 per share recorded in the same period last year.
GOOGL, which belongs to the Zacks Internet – Services industry, has added about 23% year to date, after trending downward from early July and falling about 22%. However, since early September, the shares of the company have regained strength, adding 14% (as of Oct. 29).
Markets reacted positively to the third-quarter earnings results, with shares of the tech giant surging about 6% during pre-market hours on Oct. 30.
Snapshot of Q3 Earnings
The tech giant posted revenues of $74.55 billion for the quarter ended September 2024, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $72.85 billion by 2.34%. This marked a substantial increase of 16.93% from the year-ago quarter.
Alphabet’s geographical revenues from the United States witnessed an increase of 18.66%, reaching $43.14 billion, from $36.34 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Alphabet’s net income saw a substantial surge of 33.58% from the year-ago quarter to $26.3 billion. The company’s operating income for second-quarter 2024 was $28.52 billion, which marked an increase of 33.63% from the year-ago quarter.
According to Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Anat Ashkenazi on call with investors, as quoted on CNBC, Alphabet intends to expand its ongoing cost-cutting initiatives by leveraging AI to streamline workflows, manage headcount and optimize its physical footprint.
Segment Snapshots
Third-quarter revenues from Google advertising reached $65.85 billion, up 10.4% from the year-ago quarter. According to Reuters, spending related to the U.S. Presidential elections in the third quarter resulted in increase in revenues from YouTube ads, which reached $8.9 billion in the third quarter, marking a rise of 12.19% from $7.95 billion from the year-ago quarter.
Alphabet’s Google Cloud business witnessed a substantial surge, with operating income skyrocketing to $1.95 billion, an impressive sevenfold increase from the prior-year figure of $266 million. Per Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, Cloud’s AI solutions are encouraging existing customers to use their products more, attracting new customers and securing larger deals.
Revenues from the Cloud segment also witnessed a substantial rise of 34.98% year over year to $11.35 billion, led by accelerated growth in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) across AI Infrastructure, Generative AI Solutions and core GCP products.
According to Sundar Pichai, as quoted in the earnings release of the tech giant, the company’s dedication to innovation, along with long-term focus and investment in AI, is leading to real value, as consumers and partners alike benefit from its AI-driven tools.
The CEO also states that the company achieved impressive revenue growth this quarter and its continuous efforts to enhance efficiency have led to improved margins.
Explore ETFs
The earnings results might have a huge impact on ETFs heavily invested in this Internet giant. Here, we have highlighted ETFs with double-digit exposure to Alphabet.
IShares Global Comm Services ETF (IXP)
IShares Global Comm Services ETF has an exposure of 12.61% in GOOGL. The fund charges an annual fee of 0.41%.
IShares Global Comm Services ETF has gained 5.16% over the past month and 39.52% over the past year. The fund gained 0.86% at the close on Oct. 29.
Fidelity MSCI Communication Services Index ETF (FCOM)
Fidelity MSCI Communication Services Index ETF has an exposure of 12.38% in GOOGL. The fund charges an annual fee of 0.08%.
Fidelity MSCI Communication Services Index ETF has gained 4.94% over the past month and 40.11% over the past year. The fund gained 1.13% at the close on Oct. 29.
Vanguard Communication Services ETF (VOX)
Vanguard Communication Services ETF has an exposure of 11.87% in GOOGL. The fund charges an annual fee of 0.10%.
Vanguard Communication Services ETF has gained 4.84% over the past month and 39.84% over the past year. The fund gained 1.03% at the close on Oct. 29.
Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLC)
Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund has an exposure of 10.78% in GOOGL. The fund charges an annual fee of 0.09%.
Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund has gained 3.84% over the past month and 39.34% over the past year. The fund gained 0.94% at the close on Oct. 29.
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Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Vanguard Communication Services ETF (VOX): ETF Research Reports
Fidelity MSCI Communication Services Index ETF (FCOM): ETF Research Reports
iShares Global Comm Services ETF (IXP): ETF Research Reports
Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLC): ETF Research Reports