The Web search company posted net income of US$52 million, or 19 cents a share. That compares with net income of US$20.4 million, or 8 cents a share, in the comparable period in 2003. Revenue in the third quarter was US$805.9 million, up 105 percent from the US$394 million reported for the third quarter of 2003.
Excluding a one-time charge of US$201 million from a patent-dispute settlement with rival Yahoo, Google reported net income of US$125 million, or 45 cents per share, on a diluted basis. The charge was offset by associated and pre-IPO tax benefits.
"We told investors from the start that Google is an unconventional company," Google chief executive officer Eric Schmidt said on an investor conference call. Schmidt added that Google had said it would build its business based on a long-term vision of financial success. The company, however, is also "very pleased with our revenue on the short run," Schmidt said.
