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Alphabet: good Q4 but not quite hitting all the notes

Alphabet delivered a good fourth quarter but a miss on cloud growth and ramping investment guidance weighed on sentiment.
Alphabet - misses advertising expectations

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Alphabet reported a 12% rise in fourth-quarter revenue to $96.5bn ($96.7bn expected).

The core advertising business, which includes Google Search and YouTube, saw revenue rise 10% to $84.1bn. Google Cloud revenue was up by 30% to $12.0bn ($12.2bn expected).

Operating income increased 31% to $30.9bn, with margins expanding by 5 percentage points.

Free cash flow generated was $24.8bn, Alphabet had a net cash position of $73.1bn as of the end of December, down from $86.6bn the prior year.

The company also announced plans to significantly increase capital expenditure, expecting to invest approximately $75bn in 2025.

The shares fell 7.2% in after-hours trading.

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HL view to follow.

Alphabet key facts

All ratios are sourced from LSEG Datastream, based on previous day’s closing values. Please remember yields are variable and not a reliable indicator of future income. Keep in mind key figures shouldn’t be looked at on their own – it’s important to understand the big picture.

This article is original Hargreaves Lansdown content, published by Hargreaves Lansdown. It was correct as at the date of publication, and our views may have changed since then. Unless otherwise stated estimates, including prospective yields, are a consensus of analyst forecasts provided by Refinitiv. These estimates are not a reliable indicator of future performance. Yields are variable and not guaranteed. Investments rise and fall in value so investors could make a loss.

This article is not advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any investment.No view is given on the present or future value or price of any investment, and investors should form their own view on any proposed investment.This article has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and is considered a marketing communication.Non - independent research is not subject to FCA rules prohibiting dealing ahead of research, however HL has put controls in place(including dealing restrictions, physical and information barriers) to manage potential conflicts of interest presented by such dealing.Please see our full non - independent research disclosure for more information.
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Written by
Matt-Britzman
Matt Britzman
Senior Equity Analyst

Matt is a Senior Equity Analyst on the share research team, providing up-to-date research and analysis on individual companies and wider sectors. He is a CFA Charterholder and also holds the Investment Management Certificate.

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Article history
Published: 5th February 2025