Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) and Google (GOOGL 0.55%) reported quarterly results this week. The market enjoyed Yahoo!'s performance and soured when Google came to the plate, but both companies offered similar snapshots of the challenge in monetizing mobile.
Google is growing faster. Yahoo! moved higher largely on the increasing value of its Chinese investments. However, both companies are struggling with the falling rate of revenue per click. That's not a surprise. Advertisers aren't going to spend as much on mobile platforms as they do desktop search queries. It's harder to close a sale or generate a lead from someone who clicks on an ad from a phone or a tablet.
One good thing we can say about clunky desktop keyboards is that they do make typing easier than pecking on a small smartphone screen or the compact tablet keyboards out there.
Thankfully, Google and Yahoo! are making up the difference in volume. Revenue per click is down, but paid clicks in general are on the rise. We still have a long way to go until a mobile ad will be as valuable as a PC ad, but the end result, for now, will do.
Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.
- Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG 0.40%) hit a new 52-week high after posting stronger revenue than analysts were expecting. The burrito roller also indicated that menu price increases are on the way in a move that will increase margins.
- Netflix (NFLX -3.92%) also landed a fresh 52-week high, but it doesn't report until next week. The big push for the leading video service was a dozen Emmy nominations for House of Cards and Arrested Development. There's always a model-affirming Emmy nod in the banana stand.
- Inteliquent (IQNT) moved sharply higher after jacking up its revenue and adjusted EBITDA targets for the year. The provider of wholesale voice services had hosed down its outlook in May.
