Google fourth-quarter revenue jumps, bottom line below expectations

SAN FRANCISCO -- Thanks to a boost in advertising sales, Google’s fourth-quarter revenue surpassed Wall Street expectations, but its bottom line fell short.

Google reported earnings, excluding certain items, of $12.01 a share on revenue of $16.86 billion.

Analysts had expected earnings of $12.20 a share on revenue of $16.75 billion.

The results came one day after Google said it would sell its Motorola Mobility business to Lenovo for $2.9 billion. And good thing, too. Motorola lost $384 million in the quarter.

Google also said Thursday that its long-planned stock split would take place April 2.

What will concern investors: Google’s average ad price during the fourth quarter fell 11% from the previous year. What will cheer them up: Paid clicks rose 31% from a year ago.

Google’s stock was essentially flat in after-hours trading at $1,136.

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