Quantcast
0
0

Google Stock Soars in After-market Trading

Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service

Thursday, April 17, 2008 8:50 PM PDT

Shares of popular search engine Google soared in after market trading and could portend a close above US$500 for the first time in months.

The company's stock ended after-market trading at $525.96 on Thursday, up 17 percent, or $76.42 above its close in regular trading hours on the same day. Google reported earnings that beat analyst expectations after regular stock trading closed.

Google's stock closed at $449.54 during normal hours. The last time the stock closed above $500 during regular trading was on Feb. 22, at $507.80. On Feb. 25, the shares traded as high as $506.50, but ended the day at $486.44. Because fewer shares are available during after-hours trading, share prices can push higher on positive results released after the market closes.

On Friday, Google shares may not hit the same price as Thursday's after-market, but there is a good chance they will rise significantly, given the after-market surge.

The shares have not hit $500 since that time, but Friday could be different. Stocks often follow what happens in after-market trading, but shares may not soar as high and news overnight could also affect the stock market.

Google's revenue soared 42 percent year-on-year in the first quarter to $5.19 billion and it posted net income of $1.31 billion. The company's pro-forma net income, which excludes certain items, was $4.84, which beat analysts' expectations of $4.52 per share.

The company also reported paid-click growth of 20 percent compared to the same time last year, higher than the figures reported by third parties. Negative reports on Google's paid-click growth from Internet watchers such as comScore and Hitwise had been a key factor in the stock's decline over the past few months.

Community Comments

PC World's Marketplace

PC World's Free Whitepapers

Business Center News
More

Latest Expert Blogs

All Blogs
Featured Resources

Premier Content From Our Sponsors

  • HP LaserJet Printers
    HP LaserJet Printers Satisfy your office needs by combining fax, copy and scan capabilities with high-quality laser printing.
  • CDW Virtualization Center
    CDW Security CenterHow does your network security compare to those of your peers? Click here to find out...
Featured Whitepapers

White papers, case studies and product info from top brands

  • Small Business Webcast: Are You Ready for CRM? Seven Ways to Know Knowing your customers and their needs as thoroughly as possible is central to any business. And that's the very point of customer-relationship management software, which is sophisticated business software commonly known as CRM. For those unfamiliar...
  • The Future Sales Force - A Consultative Approach In recent years many organizations have found their sales processes have become more challenging while the performance of their former star sales professionals has deteriorated. This white paper discusses the challenges of selling complex products a...
Featured Webcasts

Watch webcast presentations and videos from industry thought leaders on today's most important business and technology topics. For free.