Net income jumped 73% to $13.5 billion, and revenue rose 22% to $39.07 billion.
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META, ETR:FB2A, SWX:FB) stock jumped more than 5% afterhours as its second quarter financial performance topped analyst estimates for the top and bottom lines. Earnings per share (EPS) was up 73% from the year-ago quarter at $5.16, above estimates of $4.70.
The company has been investing in artificial intelligence technologies, as well as building the immersive world of the metaverse.
Meta META 2.51%increase; green up pointing triangle Platforms on Wednesday said quarterly digital advertising grew rapidly even as the company's investments in artificial intelligence and the so-called metaverse weighed on profits.
Meta's second-quarter profits rose by some 73%, the social media conglomerate reported Wednesday, encouraging investors as mounting losses from its more ambitious non-social media bets are outweighed by massive results from its cash cow advertising business.
Meta's Reality Labs unit, which houses its metaverse technologies, recorded an operating loss of $4.48 billion in the second quarter. Since late 2020, the Reality Labs unit has generated cumulative losses of about $50 billion.
Meta Platforms beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter revenue on Wednesday and issued a rosy sales forecast for the September quarter, signaling confidence that robust digital ads spending can cover the cost of its AI investments.
Meta is expected to show revenue growth of about 20% for the second quarter as its digital ads business continues to recover. Alphabet's YouTube business disappointed investors last week, and Pinterest's forecast on Tuesday was weaker than expected.
Currently boasting strong financials and a 3-billion person user-base, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META ) has now evolved into a global holding company, owning not only Facebook but Instagram and WhatsApp. In its Q1 2024 earnings report, Meta brought in $36.46 billion in revenue, impressing investors and the market.
Meta Platforms (META) sees positive earnings revision activity, which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat. Investors' focus is likely to be on whether the AI investment by Meta has started to pay off.
Wall Street expects Meta Platforms Inc META to report $4.72 in earnings per share and $38.3 billion in revenues when the company releases second-quarter financials after market hours on Wednesday.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META ) is a solid buy. This rating is based on its focus on open-source artificial intelligence and AI integration.