CRT: Google To Benefit From Mobile Shift

Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL) stands to benefit from a shift in online advertising to mobile from desktop, an analyst said Friday.

Marketers are trying to catch up with a rapid shift that this year will see 24 percent of media consumption accounted for by mobile devices, vs. 18 percent for desktop, according to CRT Capital's Neil Doshi.

As a result, advertising spending could see a big shift in 2015, as agencies and advertisers turn to mobile.

Doshi sees the trend as a plus for Google as well as Facebook Inc and perhaps Twitter Inc.

Doshi maintains a Buy rating and $629 target on Google.

Google said recently, however, that advertising profit margins from mobile are lower than those from desktop. The company added that the trend will "continue to pressure our margins."

A recent search engine conference for online advertisers suggests that agencies are "very reluctant" to pull spending from Google, even as they search for alternatives.

"No one indicated to us that they plan to shift budgets away from Google," Doshi said.