Analysts from Wedbush, J.P. Morgan, and Bank of America suggest that Google’s advancements in artificial intelligence are poised to enhance its second-quarter earnings. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is scheduled to announce its earnings on Tuesday after market hours.
Bank of America’s analysts, Justin Post and Nitin Bansal, have increased their revenue forecasts for Google, citing the integration of AI features like Gemini into Google Cloud and enhanced AI overviews in Google Search as key factors for potential sales growth. They expressed optimism about the broader implementation of AI overviews, believing it will increase user engagement in the core Search business, even in light of some initial glitches that led to online ridicule of the AI tool. They have adjusted their price target for Google’s stock from $200 to $206.
In April, Google reported a remarkable 60% profit increase in the first quarter, fueled by AI-driven initiatives, which led to a significant rise in its stock price and a market valuation exceeding $2 trillion, joining the ranks of tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia.
This positive trajectory for Google coincided with a series of new AI product launches, including features showcased at the recent Google I/O developer conference, which introduced a next-generation universal AI assistant designed to interact through smart glasses. Google asserts that its latest Gemini AI operates 20% faster than the newest version of ChatGPT.
While Wedbush analyst Dan Ives remains cautiously optimistic about AI Overviews’ potential impact on Search monetization, he acknowledged that AI is already benefitting Google Cloud services, projecting a 27% increase in Cloud revenue compared to the previous year.
J.P. Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth shared a similarly positive outlook, naming Google among the top tech stocks alongside Uber and Amazon, citing optimism concerning generative AI advancements ahead of Alphabet’s earnings report. On the other hand, Raymond James analyst Josh Beck cautioned that, despite the current favorable AI narrative, it remains unclear if AI will contribute to sustained long-term sales growth for Google.