Google shares have topped $1,000 (£617) for the first time after the company reported better-than-expected earnings.The company posted a 36% jump in net profits to $2.97bn for the July-to-September period.
Shares in the giant online search and ads company rose more than 13% to $1,006, and are now up 41% since the start of 2013.
Google’s revenues also beat forecasts with a 12% rise year-on-year.
“We are closing in on our goal of a beautiful, simple, and intuitive experience regardless of your device,” Google’s chief Larry Page said in a conference call with analysts.
The strong earnings report also helped other online companies, with Facebook shares adding 4.4% to a new high of more than $55. Amazon rose 3.4%.
At $1,000 a share, Google’s market value is about $334bn, which is still well below Apple’s $461bn.
Google was floated in August 2004 at $85 a share, giving the company a market value at the time of $23bn.
The company reported its quarterly earnings on Thursday after US markets had closed.
Google said that paid-for clicks increased by a quarter during the July-to-September period, from a year earlier, the highest rate of growth in the past year.
This offset an 8% fall in average cost-per-click, the price advertisers pay Google when consumers click on their ads.
“We view solid paid clicks growth to be a good indicator of demand, driven by the continued shift to mobile,” JP Morgan analysts said in a note. – BBC News
