Real money was on the line then as it is now, which means any one of the five stocks you see below could tip the scales in my favor. This time, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) stock hit a 52-week high and Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:RVBD) reversed a sell-off.
But it was a nearly 7% gain in Google stock that led my portfolio higher. Investors can thank Google Now for iOS, which the company released on April 29. Similar to Siri for how it allows users to speak queries into the search engine, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Now, an intelligent personal assistant, has been a must-have for Android smartphone and tablet owners since last summer.
Source: Google.
So far, the updated Google app with Now gets just three out of a possible five stars in the iTunes App Store. Why the low rating? Concerns over battery life. A growing number of users say Now drains devices by tapping iPhone and iPad GPS tracking data too frequently.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) says those fears are unjustified. Who’s right? Logically, it makes sense that continuous tracking by any app would drain battery life. But I’ve also seen minimal impact on my iPad Mini’s battery after having Now up and running for about a week. I’m still early in the process of testing the upgraded app on my iPhone 4S.
Either way, the rush to implement Now proves Google is making headway on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)‘s home turf. All told, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has 27 apps available at the iTunes App Store. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has only 11 more, many of which are far less popular than Google Search and YouTube, mainstays that rank among CNET’s top choices for iOS apps.
Riverbed hasn’t made as much progress in its niche. First-quarter revenue and profit came in lower than expected as management reduced Q2 guidance to $0.21 to $0.22 a share in adjusted profit on $255 million to $260 million in revenue. Analysts had been calling for $0.25 and $273 million, respectively.
In earlier quarters, a miss of this magnitude would have initiated a sharp sell-off. And that, indeed, is what we had initially: The stock declined to just over $14 a share before rallying. Why the jump? My guess is, with Riverbed trading for less than 13 times next year’s earnings target, there’s little downside left to buying at current prices.
What’s the Big Idea this week?
For the week, the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) stock rally overshadowed Riverbed’s run. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE:RAX), and salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE:CRM) also notched significant gains as my five tech stocks gained ground on Mr. Market for the second consecutive week. The Big Idea Portfolio reclaimed 336 basis points in our three-year contest to see who can do better for investors. All four indexes also gained.
| Company | Starting Price* | Recent Price | Total Return |
| Apple | $416.26** | $449.98 | 8.1% |
| $650.09 | $845.72 | 30.1% | |
| Rackspace Hosting | $41.65 | $49.49 | 18.8% |
| Riverbed Technology | $25.95 | $15.53 | (40.2%) |
| Salesforce | $25.26** | $42.24 | 67.2% |
| AVERAGE RETURN | — | — | 16.80% |
| S&P 500 SPDR | $124.39** | $161.37 | 29.73% |
| DIFFERENCE | — | — | (12.93%) |
Source: Yahoo! Finance.
* Tracking began at market close on Jan. 6, 2012.
** Adjusted for dividends, splits, and other returns of capital.
Notable newsmakers
Among the other tech stocks making news last week:
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) rose more than 5% last week despite reporting slightly worse-than-expected earnings results. Mobile ad revenue surged 30% while Instagram reached 100 million active users. Overall revenue soared 38% as the social network’s installed base grew to 1.11 billion worldwide, a 23% improvement.
More results LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) fell as much as 14% after reporting disappointing guidance. The professional network expects $342 million to $347 million in revenue in the current quarter, well below the $359.2 million Wall Street was hoping for.
Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:NUAN) also took a beating, falling 19% after reporting fiscal third-quarter results well below consensus estimates. Revenue fell more than $30 million short while profit came in $0.06 below projections.
Finally, mark your calendars: Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE:RAX) reports results on Wednesday, May 8.
What else caught your eye in the tech world last week? Do you believe Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) stock will rally from here? Let us know what you think in the comments box below.
The article Why Google Stock Hit a 52-Week High Last Week originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Tim Beyers.
Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. He owned shares of Apple, Google, Rackspace Hosting, Riverbed Technology, and salesforce.com at the time of publication. Check out Tim’s Web home and portfolio holdings, or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Nuance Communications, Rackspace Hosting, Riverbed Technology, and salesforce.com and owns shares of Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Nuance Communications, and Riverbed Technology.
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