Every quarter is busy for Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG). In the last quarter the company has released new tablets, changed its search algorithm, and tried to get marketers used to its new Enhanced Campaigns tools. The company is due to announce earnings on Thursday afternoon after the market closes.
Analysts following the Mountain View, California company are looking for earnings of $10.37 per share from the firm on revenue totaling $14.6 billion. In the same three months of 2012 Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) earned $9.03 per share on $14.1 billion in revenue. Google performance has been uneven on earnings in recent reports, but investors still seem optimistic on the company’s prospects.
Google mobile problems
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is, like many other tech firms, still coming to terms with the mobile revolution. Google has been a big driver of the move to smart phones and tablets, but the company still makes much more money off of its desktop ads than it does off of those on mobile. Google is trying to change that, but it’s going to take time.
That means that investors are going to have to bear with the company as it improves its mobile technology and tries to blend its desktop and mobile advertisements together. Investors don’t seem to have all that much trouble giving Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) the benefit of the doubt. Shares in the company are up more than 25% so far in 2013, and the stock is trading at more than 27 times 2012 earnings.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) will catch up on mobile, if the firm is to be believed. It will also be the first advertiser to make full use of the platform. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has been lauded for its mobile monetization in recent months, but the company’s not getting revenue per user of anything close to the level of Google.
Google’s future
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has always been an interesting company, and it’s always trying new things. One thing has become clear, however; Google is about advertising. All of the research into driverless cars and immortality projects have not changed that yet, and it’s unlikely they will do so in the years ahead.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is good at what it does, and it may continue to perform well in future. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is catching up, however, so Google is not home free just yet.