Google’s earnings take off in 3rd quarter

10/18/2013
BLADE NEWS SERVICES

SAN FRANCISCO — Google’s earnings climbed 36 percent in the third quarter despite a deepening slump in its average ad prices as more people connect to its search engine and other services on mobile devices.

The results, released Thursday after the market closed, exceeded the analyst projections that steer investors.

Google’s stock surged 6 percent to $943.90 in after-market trading.

Google Inc. earned nearly $3 billion, or $8.75 per share, during the three months ending in September. That compared to income of $2.2 billion, or $6.53 per share, during the same period last year.

Revenue rose 12 percent from last year to $14.9 billion.