Media Tech Analyst
submits:
A lot has been said about Google's (
GOOG
) inability to find a business outside of search that it can
effectively monetize and that Google is a now a value stock. The
latter couldn't be further from the truth in my view. How could a
company, whose revenues (according to consensus) will grow 21% in
2010 and 22% in 2011 and whose profits will grow similarly, with
both years likely beatable, be considered a value stock? We need a
séance to get Graham and Dodd back to discuss the topic. But more
on that at a later date. (See my previous write-up about
Google hitting a wall
).
I believe Google is making headway with display and video
advertising and TV, and has, I believe, true potential for
significant growth. However, when I think about Google's product
launches and acquisitions, I think reinforcement to the core
business to drive incremental growth, rather than finding a
business outside of search. I thought that about Andriod and
Google's push to get ahead of mobile search advertising, which
reinforces the core search business. Make no mistake, Google is
search and will always be search. And search, like e-Commerce, is
only 20% to 25% into its growth curve. Therefore, Google, like
Amazon (
AMZN
) in e-Commerce, has significant runway to continue to pursue its
core business. Think about it. If search lacked growth, as several
articles in The Wall Street Journal have alluded to, why would
Microsoft (
MSFT
) spend billions and lose billions to enter the market?
To understand my thinking better I took a look at Google's
products and services and sorted them into clear winners, potential
for winning and losing, and the losers. What I found was that the
clear winners all serve to boost Google's core, immensely
profitable and strong cash flow generating business, while the
losers were just sunk costs with hardly a dent to shareholder
value. In fact, I believe that Google actually gained knowledge
from the losing ventures that they could use to enhance the current
business and pursue others.
So to Google's managers and engineers I say keep innovating in
search, keep focusing on what you do best, and shareholders will
come back.
Clear Winners
AdSense - A $16bn business in 2009
AdWords - A $7bn business in 2009
Search Appliance - About $300mn. Not bad
DoubleClick - A $1bn business. Not bad
Android Operating software - I love my Android based phone
Gmail - Don't know of anyone without a Gmail account
Google Finance - Other than Yahoo! Finance's chat boards I switched
almost entirely to Google. I do like Yahoo!'s quick and easily
downloadable historical quotes.
Google News -Use it daily. Love the Google alerts
Blogger - Love it but could be more powerful.
Images - Good to find out what clients look like before meeting
Patent Search - Has been helpful with my stock research
Google Maps - Use it all the time
Google Calendar - Love the email and text reminders
Picasa - Should get more marketing dollars to get the word out.
Great asset
Google Reader - Use it every day
Google Earth - Good product. Helpful planning vacations.
Google Base - Remember Base? Helped shaped Google as a shopping
destination
Google Book Search - Not a big fan but my PhD friends have taken to
it
Google's dark fiber purchases
Give me time
Chrome - Jury is out on this one. I went back to Firefox
iGoogle - I see potential
YouTube - The $1.65 acquisition has resonated with users globally
but has had difficulty driving profits thus far. I see profits in
3Q10.
Google Aps/Google Docs - I see potential.
SketchUp
Google Trends
TV Ads - Maybe Google hits its non-core stride here.
Knol
Trends - Useful tool for analysts but that's about it
Wait and see but most likely a loser
Google Phones, i.e., Nexus One
Checkout - Oops. Paypal (
EBAY
) is way too penetrated.
Wave - Someone tell me what happened here
Best up and comer
Google Transit
Down for the Count - Chalk me up as Sunk Costs
Dmark
Print advertising
Orkut
Buzz
Desktop Search
Google Health
Google Video
Google Talk
Notebook
Co-op
Answers
Local
Music Trends
Personalized Search
Web Accelerator
Dodgeball
Disclosure
: None
See also
Why the Stock 'Market' Is Like No Other Market
on seekingalpha.com