Google shares dip as earnings fall short

Google shares were down nearly 10 percent in after-hours trading on Thursday after the Internet search giant's earnings fell short of the expectations of Wall Street analysts. Google reported a fourth-quarter net profit of $2.71 billion, compared to $2.54 billion in the same quarter a year ago. Quarterly revenue rose 25 percent to $10.58 billion. Earnings per share, however, of $9.50 were below the forecasts of $10.49 and Google shares were down 9.69 percent at $577.60 in after-hours trading. "Google had a really strong quarter ending a great year," chief executive Larry Page said in a statement. "Full year revenue was up 29 percent, and our quarterly revenue blew past the $10 billion mark for the first time "I am super excited about the growth of Android, Gmail, and Google+, which now has 90 million users globally -- well over double what I announced just three months ago," Page said.