Alphabet could remain choppy in near term, analysts warn, despite strong earnings

Investing.com -- Shares in Google owner Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ:GOOGL ) could “remain choppy” in the coming period despite its very solid third-quarter earnings report, Barclays analysts said Tuesday.

The technology giant reported revenue and earnings per share (EPS) that beat consensus by 2% and 15%, respectively. Search and YouTube revenue met expectations, while the Cloud segment significantly outperformed.

Operating margins also remained steady and were notably higher than analysts had anticipated.

Barclays highlights that the transition to the new CFO went smoothly, though investors are eager for more granular insights into Alphabet’s business operations. However, given the ongoing legal matters involving the company, it was unsurprising that Alphabet maintained its “high-level communication philosophy,” analysts said.

They believe regulatory risks surrounding Alphabet are expected to come back into focus in the coming weeks, with Google set to present a proposed remedy package followed by the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) specific requests.

Thus, analysts believe the “upside for GOOGL shares near-term is somewhat capped.”

“The 20x EPS multiple reflects some of the regulatory and AI-related risks, which we continue to muddle through ever so slowly,” they added.

Separately, Wells Fargo analysts noted in their post-earnings report that strength in Alphabet’s Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and robust core margins have driven a mid-single-digit positive revision to EPS.

But while acknowledging improved execution, analysts remain unconvinced that any fundamental debates around Google Search have been resolved.

They anticipate “an eventful catalyst path” through the 2024 year-end, emphasizing that it is still too early to signal an "all clear” narrative.

Looking beyond the third quarter, analysts see a complicated run for Google stock.

Specifically, the outcome of the upcoming federal election will likely shape the direction of the DOJ’s antitrust trial regarding Google Search. Wells Fargo views the DOJ’s filing of its Proposed Final Judgment on Nov. 20 as critical for clarifying the DOJ’s definitive remedy requests.

Furthermore, recent reports of OpenAI potentially launching a search product and Meta (NASDAQ:META ) developing an AI-driven search engine are seen as “incremental risks to Google Search's competitive positioning.”

Source: Investing.com