GOOGLE REPORTS RECORD BREAKING REVENUE FOR Q2

Shares of Google stock jumped more than 10% in after-hours trading following the Internet giant’s second-quarter earnings report. “We had a great quarter, with revenue up 32% year on year for a record breaking over $9 billion of revenue,” said Google CEO Larry Page in a statement. “I’m super excited about the amazing response to Google+ which lets you share just like in real life.” Google reported revenue of $9.03 billion in its June quarter, up 32% over the same quarter last year and well above the Street’s $6.5 billion consensus. EPS came in at $8.76, also well above Wall Street’s consensus of $7.86, and Google’s net income for the quarter totalled#2.85 billion, up from $2.08 billion in the second quarter last hear. Google also noted that Android activations are currently up to 550,000 devices per day, and its invite-only Google+ social network now has more than 10 million members. Full press release is below.

Google Announces Second Quarter 2011 Financial Results

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – July 14, 2011 – Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2011.

“We had a great quarter, with revenue up 32% year on year for a record breaking over $9 billion of revenue,” said Larry Page, CEO of Google. “I’m super excited about the amazing response to Google+ which lets you share just like in real life.”

Q2 Financial Summary

Google reported revenues of $9.03 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2011, an increase of 32% compared to the second quarter of 2010. Google reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the second quarter of 2011, TAC totaled $2.11 billion, or 24% of advertising revenues.

Google reports operating income, operating margin, net income, and earnings per share (EPS) on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis. The non-GAAP measures, as well as free cash flow, an alternative non-GAAP measure of liquidity, are described below and are reconciled to the corresponding GAAP measures in the accompanying financial tables.

GAAP operating income in the second quarter of 2011 was $2.88 billion, or 32% of revenues. This compares to GAAP operating income of $2.37 billion, or 35% of revenues, in the second quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP operating income in the second quarter of 2011 was $3.32 billion, or 37% of revenues. This compares to non-GAAP operating income of $2.67 billion, or 39% of revenues, in the second quarter of 2010.
GAAP net income in the second quarter of 2011 was $2.51 billion, compared to $1.84 billion in the second quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP net income in the second quarter of 2011 was $2.85 billion, compared to $2.08 billion in the second quarter of 2010.
GAAP EPS in the second quarter of 2011 was $7.68 on 326 million diluted shares outstanding, compared to $5.71 in the second quarter of 2010 on 322 million diluted shares outstanding. Non-GAAP EPS in the second quarter of 2011 was $8.74, compared to $6.45 in the second quarter of 2010.
Non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin exclude the expenses related to stock-based compensation (SBC). Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP EPS exclude the expenses related to SBC and the related tax benefits. In the second quarter of 2011, the charge related to SBC was $435 million, compared to $309 million in the second quarter of 2010. The tax benefit related to SBC was $91 million in the second quarter of 2011 and $70 million in the second quarter of 2010.
Q2 Financial Highlights

Revenues – Google reported revenues of $9.03 billion in the second quarter of 2011, representing a 32% increase over second quarter 2010 revenues of $6.82 billion. Google reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting TAC.

Google Sites Revenues – Google-owned sites generated revenues of $6.23 billion, or 69% of total revenues, in the second quarter of 2011. This represents a 39% increase over second quarter 2010 revenues of $4.50 billion.

Google Network Revenues – Google’s partner sites generated revenues, through AdSense programs, of $2.48 billion, or 28% of total revenues, in the second quarter of 2011. This represents a 20% increase from second quarter 2010 network revenues of $2.06 billion.

International Revenues – Revenues from outside of the United States totaled $4.87 billion, representing 54% of total revenues in the second quarter of 2011, compared to 53% in the first quarter of 2011 and 52% in the second quarter of 2010. Excluding gains related to our foreign exchange risk management program, had foreign exchange rates remained constant from the first quarter of 2011 through the second quarter of 2011, our revenues in the second quarter of 2011 would have been $167 million lower. Excluding gains related to our foreign exchange risk management program, had foreign exchange rates remained constant from the second quarter of 2010 through the second quarter of 2011, our revenues in the second quarter of 2011 would have been $417 million lower.

Revenues from the United Kingdom totaled $976 million, representing 11% of revenues in the second quarter of 2011, compared to 11% in the second quarter of 2010.
In the second quarter of 2011, we recognized a benefit of $4 million to revenues through our foreign exchange risk management program, compared to $79 million in the second quarter of 2010.
A reconciliation of our non-GAAP international revenues excluding the impact of foreign exchange and hedging to GAAP international revenues is included in the accompanying financial tables.

Paid Clicks – Aggregate paid clicks, which include clicks related to ads served on Google sites and the sites of our AdSense partners, increased approximately 18% over the second quarter of 2010 and decreased approximately 2% over the first quarter of 2011.

Cost-Per-Click – Average cost-per-click, which includes clicks related to ads served on Google sites and the sites of our AdSense partners, increased approximately 12% over the second quarter of 2010 and increased approximately 6% over the first quarter of 2011.

TAC – Traffic Acquisition Costs, the portion of revenues shared with Google’s partners, increased to $2.11 billion in the second quarter of 2011, compared to TAC of $1.73 billion in the second quarter of 2010. TAC as a percentage of advertising revenues was 24% in the second quarter of 2011, compared to 26% in the second quarter of 2010.

The majority of TAC is related to amounts ultimately paid to our AdSense partners, which totaled $1.75 billion in the second quarter of 2011. TAC also includes amounts ultimately paid to certain distribution partners and others who direct traffic to our website, which totaled $355 million in the second quarter of 2011.

Other Cost of Revenues – Other cost of revenues, which is comprised primarily of data center operational expenses, amortization of intangible assets, content acquisition costs as well as credit card processing charges, increased to $1.06 billion, or 12% of revenues, in the second quarter of 2011, compared to $735 million, or 11% of revenues, in the second quarter of 2010.

Operating Expenses – Operating expenses, other than cost of revenues, were $2.97 billion in the second quarter of 2011, or 33% of revenues, compared to $1.99 billion in the second quarter of 2010, or 29% of revenues.

SBC – In the second quarter of 2011, the total charge related to SBC was $435 million, compared to $309 million in the second quarter of 2010.

We currently estimate SBC charges for grants to employees prior to July 1, 2011 to be approximately $1.9 billion for 2011. This estimate does not include expenses to be recognized related to employee stock awards that are granted after June 30, 2011 or non-employee stock awards that have been or may be granted.

Operating Income – GAAP operating income in the second quarter of 2011 was $2.88 billion, or 32% of revenues. This compares to GAAP operating income of $2.37 billion, or 35% of revenues, in the second quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP operating income in the second quarter of 2011 was $3.32 billion, or 37% of revenues. This compares to non-GAAP operating income of $2.67 billion, or 39% of revenues, in the second quarter of 2010.

Interest and Other Income, Net – Interest and other income, net increased to $204 million in the second quarter of 2011, compared to $69 million in the second quarter of 2010.

Income Taxes – Our effective tax rate was 19% for the second quarter of 2011.

Net Income – GAAP net income in the second quarter of 2011 was $2.51 billion, compared to $1.84 billion in the second quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP net income was $2.85 billion in the second quarter of 2011, compared to $2.08 billion in the second quarter of 2010. GAAP EPS in the second quarter of 2011 was $7.68 on 326 million diluted shares outstanding, compared to $5.71 in the second quarter of 2010 on 322 million diluted shares outstanding. Non-GAAP EPS in the second quarter of 2011 was $8.74, compared to $6.45 in the second quarter of 2010.

Cash Flow and Capital Expenditures – Net cash provided by operating activities in the second quarter of 2011 totaled $3.52 billion, compared to $2.09 billion in the second quarter of 2010. In the second quarter of 2011, capital expenditures were $917 million, the majority of which was related to land and building purchases, and IT infrastructure investments, including data centers, servers, and networking equipment. Free cash flow, an alternative non-GAAP measure of liquidity, is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. In the second quarter of 2011, free cash flow was $2.60 billion.

We expect to continue to make significant capital expenditures.

A reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities, the GAAP measure of liquidity, is included in the accompanying financial tables.

Cash – As of June 30, 2011, cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $39.1 billion.

Headcount – On a worldwide basis, Google employed 28,768 full-time employees as of June 30, 2011, up from 26,316 full-time employees as of March 31, 2011. Net headcount growth (excluding approximately 450 employees hired as part of the acquisition of ITA Software) was similar to the first quarter of 2011.

RIM'S FY Q1 RESULTS SUBPAR; Q2 OUTLOOK REDUCED; JOB CUTS COMING

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIMM) this afternoon reported fiscal Q1 revenue below analysts’ estimates, but profit a penny ahead, and a Q2 revenue forecast well below estimates, and cut its year outlook.

The company will pursue cost reductions, including laying off workers, and will buy back shares, it said.

Revenue in the three months ended in May rose 16%, year over year, and fell 12%, quarter to quarter, to $4.91 billion, yielding EPS of $1.33.

Analysts had been modeling $5.15 billion in revenue and $1.32 in EPS.

Co-CEO Jim Balsillie remarked, “Fiscal 2012 has gotten off to a challenging start. The slowdown we saw in the first quarter is continuing into Q2, and delays in new product introductions into the very late part of August is leading to a lower than expected outlook in the second quarter.”

He added, “RIM will see strong profit growth in the latter part of fiscal 2012.”

The Q1 results were consistent with RIM’s updated forecast, provided April 28th, of revenue slightly below $5.2 billion, and EPS in a range of $1.30 to $1.37.

However, unit sales of 13.2 million were below even the company’s reduced forecast for 13.5 million to 14.5 million units.

Gross profit of 44% was slightly better than the company expected, it said, based on a better mix of devices sold.

One bright spot: RIM shipped 500,000 units of its PlayBook tablet computer in the quarter, it said. That estimate was higher than general expectations on the Street for 400,000 or so units. (Barron's)

APPLE SURPASSES MICROSOFT IN MARKET CAP, REVENUE AND NOW PROFIT

Just about a year ago, when Apple passed Microsoft in market cap, the Redmond loyalists were out in full force: that means nothing — look at the revenues! When Apple passed Microsoft in revenues last October, it was: who cares — look at the profits! We were looking, and we projected that this quarter just ended would be the one in which Apple passed Microsoft in that regard too.

Sure enough, they have. Easily.

Microsoft has just announced their Q3 2011 results. The numbers appear to be good, beating analysts’ expectations. But with net income now at $5.23 billion, Microsoft now comes in well behind Apple, which had a net income of $5.99 billion last quarter.

Last October, despite Apple pulling ahead in revenue, the profit gap was about $1.1 billion in Microsoft’s favor. Last quarter, that gap was down to roughly a $600 million. And now, rather remarkable, it’s over $700 million in the other direction — a $1.3 billion swing in just one quarter. And you can probably expect that trend to continue.

Meanwhile, on the revenue side of things, Apple now holds a roughly $8 billion advantage — $24.6 billion to $16.43 billion. And in market cap, Apple’s advantage is just about $100 billion — $318.45 billion to $224.43 billion.

RUMOR: NINTENDO CUTTING WII TO $150 ON MAY 15TH

Sources are stating that Nintendo is readying a price cut, to $150, to their popular Wii game console on May 15th. The timing would make some sense, given how Nintendo's profits have tanked for a while due to flagging hardware sales, and just last month Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime hinted that the Wii's price might be a potential variable to change that in an interview with Gamasutra.

HTC REPORTS RECORD SALES AND PROFIT

Another quarter, another spectacular set of financial results for HTC. The once-small Taiwanese phone maker reports its net income for the first quarter of 2011 nearly tripled earnings in the same period of 2010, now totaling an impressive $513 million. Overall quarterly revenue was in the vicinity of $3.6 billion and the causes cited were, rather predictably, demand for Android smartphones and higher-speed internet connectivity (as provided by the likes of the EVO 4G and Thunderbolt).

SKYPE TO BECOME AD-SUPPORTED

Skype has always had an issue with becoming and staying profitable. Because of that, it has been sold and bought many times over. Things have only gotten worse as companies like Google have entered the VoIP fray with products like Google Voice.

Skype has just announced that it will begin showing advertisements as part of the Skype for Windows home tab starting later this week, which will be the first time that advertising has been promoted within the app. Ads will start rolling out in the US, UK and Germany first, with other countries to follow, while some of the first advertisers will include Groupon, Nokia, Universal Pictures and Visa, who have opted to buy daily ad campaigns.

Skype’s approach to ubiquitous ads in the desktop app isn’t entirely noxious: there’ll be a “hide ad” button for users fed up with seeing ads on a daily basis. Skype is also making it easier for people to reach out to the buyers of an ad space with a “Click & Call” button that makes ordering a proffered deal just a click away. They will also add a new “share” button that will hook into social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

LG REPORTS Q4 LOSS

Korean manufacturing giant LG released its Q4 results and they were not good. The company posted a net loss of $230 billion compared to a profit of $325 billion for Q4 2009.

Overall shipments were down 10% to 30.6 million units, pushing LG into the No. 5 spot globally behind RIM. The company will look to new high-end smartphones like the Optimus 2X, Optimus Black and Optimus 3D as it attempts to reverse its declining mobile trend. LG remains the No. 2 TV company globally, as sales in its home entertainment division increased 15.8% compared to the third quarter of this year. Because competition forced LG to drop the average selling price on its television sets, however, the company’s home entertainment business still posted an operating loss in the quarter.

NEWS CORP. MAY SHUT DOWN MYSPACE

MySpace may be in some trouble. The once popular social networking site is in danger of being shuttered. According to News Corp. COO Chase Carey the site is losing tons of money and is unsustainable.

During on an earning call Carey said "We’ve been clear that MySpace is a problem. The current losses are not acceptable or sustainable." and he wants to see Myspace on “a clear path to profitability” on a timetable measured “in quarters, not in years.”

News Corp. paid $850 million for the networking site back in 2005. Of course this was before Facebook emerged and became the dominant force in the sector leaving MySpace in the dust. [Geek]

MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES RECORD FIRST QUARTER PROFITS

Microsoft just beat analyst expectations, announcing $16.20 billion in revenue for the first quarter of its 2011 fiscal year, with $5.41 billion in profit. Microsoft cites Office 2010, the sustained "PC refresh cycle," and 38 percent growth in the Xbox 360 biz for its good news, with overall revenue up 25 percent over the same quarter last year and a 51 percent gain in profit. [Engadget]

APPLE POSTS RECORD PROFITS

Apple announced today their fiscal year Q4 results.  The company posted record revenue of $20.34 billion and revenue of $4.31 billion.  In comparison Apple had $12.21 billion in revenue and $2.53 billion profit Q4 2009.

Boosting revenue was the popularity of the iPad selling 4.19 million in the quarter.  Other sales were impressive as well with Apple selling 3.89 million iMacs (+27%) and 14.1 million iPhones(+91%).  iPod's were not a bright spot for the company losing 11% at only 9.05 million sold.  The press release announcing Q4 results is below. [Gizmodo]

Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results
Record Mac, iPhone and iPad Sales
Highest Revenue and Earnings Ever
CUPERTINO, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2010 fourth quarter ended September 25, 2010. The Company posted record revenue of $20.34 billion and net quarterly profit of $4.31 billion, or $4.64 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $12.21 billion and net quarterly profit of $2.53 billion, or $2.77 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.9 percent compared to 41.8 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 57 percent of the quarter's revenue.
"We are blown away to report over $20 billion in revenue and over $4 billion in after-tax earnings-both all-time records for Apple"
Apple sold 3.89 million Macs during the quarter, a 27 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 14.1 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 91 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 9.05 million iPods during the quarter, representing an 11 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. The Company also sold 4.19 million iPads during the quarter.
"We are blown away to report over $20 billion in revenue and over $4 billion in after-tax earnings-both all-time records for Apple," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iPhone sales of 14.1 million were up 91 percent year-over-year, handily beating the 12.1 million phones RIM sold in their most recent quarter. We still have a few surprises left for the remainder of this calendar year."
"We're thrilled with the performance and strength of our business, generating almost $5.7 billion in cash flow from operations during the quarter," said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO. "Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $23 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $4.80."
Apple will provide live streaming of its Q4 2010 financial results conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. PDT on October 18, 2010 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq410/. This webcast will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.
This press release contains forward-looking statements including without limitation those about the Company's estimated revenue and earnings per share. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ. Risks and uncertainties include without limitation the effect of competitive and economic factors, and the Company's reaction to those factors, on consumer and business buying decisions with respect to the Company's products; continued competitive pressures in the marketplace; the ability of the Company to deliver to the marketplace and stimulate customer demand for new programs, products, and technological innovations on a timely basis; the effect that product introductions and transitions, changes in product pricing or mix, and/or increases in component costs could have on the Company's gross margin; the inventory risk associated with the Company's need to order or commit to order product components in advance of customer orders; the continued availability on acceptable terms, or at all, of certain components and services essential to the Company's business currently obtained by the Company from sole or limited sources; the effect that the Company's dependency on manufacturing and logistics services provided by third parties may have on the quality, quantity or cost of products manufactured or services rendered; the Company's reliance on the availability of third-party digital content; the potential impact of a finding that the Company has infringed on the intellectual property rights of others; the Company's dependency on the performance of distributors, carriers and other resellers of the Company's products; the effect that product and service quality problems could have on the Company's sales and operating profits; the Company's reliance on sole service providers for iPhone® in certain countries; the continued service and availability of key executives and employees; war, terrorism, public health issues, natural disasters, and other circumstances that could disrupt supply, delivery, or demand of products; potential litigation from the matters investigated by the special committee of the board of directors and the restatement of the Company's consolidated financial statements; and unfavorable results of other legal proceedings. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results is included from time to time in the Company's public reports filed with the SEC, including the Company's Form 10-K, as amended, for the fiscal year ended September 26, 2009, its Forms 10-Q for the quarters ended December 26, 2009; March 27, 2010; and June 26, 2010; and its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 25, 2010 to be filed with the SEC. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.