Alphabet 2Q Preview: Higher D&A To Weigh On Earnings; AI Monetization Slows But Continues

  • GOOGL's recent underperformance is largely due to slower advertising growth, a relatively muted capex outlook, and higher D&A, which could pressure earnings. Despite the gradual pace of AI monetization in advertising, Google Cloud delivered strong growth and continued margin expansion in 1Q. The valuation gap between GOOGL and META reflects Meta's stronger ad growth and more aggressive FY2025 capex, 36% of total revenue, vs 19% for GOOGL.