- Though reiterating an Overweight rating, JPMorgan's Doug Anmuth has slashed his Google (GOOG -2.2%) target by $70 to $600, and also cut his estimates.
- Among other things, Anmuth cites "the transition from desktop to mobile search, continued margin compression, and increasing competition from Facebook."
- The indirect challenge posed by Facebook to Google's ad dollars was raised by some following Google's Q3 miss. Meanwhile, Facebook's Atlas (display ad-buying/measuring) and Audience Network (mobile ad network) platforms directly compete against Google's DoubleClick and AdMob units.
- The ability of Google search to deliver ads directly tied to user intent (i.e. what a user is looking to buy at a particular moment) still acts as a key selling point when battling for ad dollars. Facebook's ad targeting, by contrast, is often driven by previously-obtained user data.
- Shares have made new 52-week lows. Google now goes for 14x 2015E EPS exc. net cash/investments. The 2015 revenue growth consensus is at 17.7%.