All in all, it was a pretty good quarter for Google parent (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL). Revenue was up 7%, driving a 12% year-over-year improvement in operating income. Its search-based advertising business is bouncing back from a recent bout with economic headwinds.

Where the company was most impressive for the three-month stretch ending in June, however, wasn't in ad sales. Its cloud computing arm is firing on all cylinders now and is doing well enough that Alphabet stock is a buy for anyone on the fence about owning it.

During its second fiscal quarter of the year, Alphabet turned $74.6 billion worth of sales into an adjusted profit of $1.44 per share. Those figures topped analysts' expectations for revenue of $72.8 billion and earnings of $1.34 per share. And that 7% year-over-year sales improvement (9% on a constant-currency basis) led to 19% growth in per-share profits.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com