So says Kevin at GigaOm:
Demand for Google remained high in 2005 as the company blew away earnings in the third quarter ($1.51 a share vs. the Street’s estimate of $1.36) and Net stocks in general rallied toward the end of the year. But think about this: Google ended the first week of 2006 at $465.66. If you bought it 15 months ago, you haven’t made money.
The supply caught up with demand. If anyone was hot on Google, thinking it might fulfill the orgiastic fantasies of analysts who had a $2,000 price target on the stock, there was always someone more than happy to sell shares to them.