Google's 4Q earnings rise 7 pct to top Street view
Google's 4th-quarter earnings climb 7 percent as more advertising shifts to Internet
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Google says its fourth-quarter earnings rose 7 percent as online advertisers spent more money in pursuit of holiday shoppers.
The results announced Tuesday were slightly above analyst estimates.
It wasn't an apples-to-apples comparison because the most recent quarter included Motorola Mobility, which Google Inc. didn't own in the previous year.
Things were further complicated by Google's recent agreement to sell a part of its Motorola Mobility division that makes cable TV boxes. That division is now accounted for as a discontinued operation.
Google earned nearly $2.9 billion, or $8.62 cents per share during the final three months of last year. That compared to net income of $2.7 billion, or $8.22 per share, at the same time last year.
Revenue surged 36 percent from the previous year to $14.4 billion.
