Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares have been on an incredible tear this year, climbing up over $1,100, but will they hit $2,000? Writing on The Street, Rocco Pendola posits that the search giant’s stock will definitely hit that price. In fact, he suggests that this number could be conservative—if and when Google finds another “massive revenue generator” which is definitely distinct from its online search advertising business.
Google dominates in online advertising
Pendola examined Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s recent 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company tempers its statements because it doesn’t want investors to expect too much in the coming year, particularly in terms of its revenue growth rate, which has declined. Of course this is to be expected, and Google cites “a number of factors.” Included in the company’s list are many items relating to the evolution of the online advertising industry.
The author points out that Google management is right to prepare investors for what will appear to be a slowdown in growth because it is inevitable in companies like Google which dominate their respective markets. Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) is the new kid on the block, so the percentage of its projected growth rates are massive, particularly compared to Google’s.
Google expands into other industries
He also notes that while Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) does get the lion’s share of its revenue from search advertising, the company is exploring so many other areas that it is bound to come across something that will turn into another extraordinary revenue stream. The company licenses out its Android mobile operating system, has launched its first in-house smartphone, the Moto G (through its Motorola Mobility subsidiary), and continues to work on its wearable computing device Google Glass while dabbling in self-driving cars and other side projects.
But it is these side projects which make Google so interesting. True, the company burns money on so many things that have yet to make it any money, but all the company needs is for one of those side projects to become the next big thing. There’s a good chance we will see this happen because there seems to be no end to the company’s technological exploration. But does that mean the company’s stock will hit $2,000? And if so, when?
What about a stock split?
Last year Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) investors approved the company’s first stock split. Not long after that, some investors sued the company over the plan over concerns about giving the company’s founders too much control. However, this summer Google settled that lawsuit. At the time of the settlement, some were asking if the company’s stock would hit $1,000 before it decided to do a stock split, and of course we now know the answer to that question.
