Google reports strong second-quarter earnings

SAN FRANCISCO - Google on Thursday reported strong second-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates.

For the quarter ended June 30, the Internet search giant posted revenue of $10.96 billion, representing a 21-percent increase over the second quarter of 2011.

The company said that the EPS (earnings per share), excluding certain items, reached 10.12 dollars, compared to 8.74 dollars in the same period last year.

Analysts have expected Google to report earnings per share of 10.04 dollars, according to forecasts by Thomson Reuters.

"Google standalone had a strong quarter with 21 percent year-on- year revenue growth, and we launched a bunch of exciting new products at I/O -- in particular the Nexus 7 tablet, which has received rave reviews," said Larry Page, co-founder and chief executive officer of Google, in a statement.

"This quarter is also special because Motorola is now part of the Google family, and we're excited about the potential to build great devices for users," he added.

Google introduced the small screen tablet Nexus 7 in late June, and completed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility on May 22.