Wedbush sees headline risk associated with DOJ trial, limited risk to Google biz

Wedbush notes that on Monday, September 9, the second antitrust trial against Google this year will commence in the U.S. District Court. The U.S. DOJ complaint primarily focuses on Google’s adtech stack and specifically Google Ad Manager, alleging that the company’s actions have allowed it to unlawfully monopolize the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets for open web display advertising, both in the U.S. and internationally. While the firm acknowledges near-term headline risk associated with the pending trial, it believes the overall risk to the business is limited based on the company’s recent financial disclosures related to its adtech products. Wedbush has an Outperform rating on the shares with a price target of $205.