Alphabet(US:GOOGL) 智通财经网·2025-06-03 06:55Core Viewpoint - Barclays analysts suggest that if US District Judge Amit Mehta orders Alphabet's Google to divest its Chrome browser, the stock could drop by 15% to 25%, potentially marking a "black swan event" for the company [1][2]. Group 1: Legal Proceedings and Implications - In August 2024, Google lost a landmark antitrust lawsuit against the US Department of Justice, with Judge Mehta ruling that the tech giant monopolized the search engine market, particularly in "general search" and "general search text" advertising [1]. - The DOJ has proposed that Mehta should force Google to divest Chrome, share search data with competitors, and prohibit exclusive agreements that ensure Google remains the default search engine on mobile devices and browsers [1][2]. - Analyst Ross Sandler noted that while the likelihood of Chrome being divested is low, it has increased, with potential buyers being well-funded AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, or Perplexity [1]. Group 2: Financial Impact - Chrome has 4 billion users and accounts for 35% of Google's search revenue, making its divestiture a significant blow to Alphabet [2]. - Sandler indicated that divesting Chrome could lead to a 25% drop in Alphabet's stock price and a potential 30% impact on its earnings per share [2]. - Following the news, Alphabet's stock fell by 1.6%, with a year-to-date decline of 10.6% [3]. Group 3: Future Outlook - Judge Mehta is expected to rule on the remedies for the case in August, which will determine the fate of Google's search empire [2]. - Google announced plans to spend $500 million to adjust its compliance structure to settle shareholder claims of antitrust violations [2].