Meta Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
Rhea-AI Summary
Meta (Nasdaq: META) reported Q1 2026 results for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, with revenue $56.31B (+33% YoY), net income $26.77B (+61% YoY) and diluted EPS $10.44 (+62% YoY).
Key operational metrics: Family daily active people 3.56B (Mar average), ad impressions +19% YoY, average price per ad +12% YoY. Q1 costs $33.44B; capital expenditures $19.84B. Company recognized an $8.03B tax benefit tied to U.S. Treasury Notice 2026-7. Q2 revenue guidance: $58–61B; full‑year expenses $162–169B; revised 2026 capex $125–145B.
Positive
- Revenue $56.31 billion in Q1 2026 (+33% YoY)
- Net income $26.77 billion in Q1 2026 (+61% YoY)
- Diluted EPS $10.44 in Q1 2026 (+62% YoY)
- Ad impressions +19% year-over-year
- Average price per ad +12% year-over-year
- Q2 2026 revenue guidance of $58–61 billion
Negative
- Total costs and expenses $33.44 billion in Q1 2026 (+35% YoY)
- Q1 capital expenditures $19.84 billion; 2026 capex raised to $125–145 billion
- Effective tax rate distorted by an $8.03 billion tax benefit in Q1 2026
- Company warns of active legal and regulatory matters that may cause material loss
Market Reaction – META
Following this news, META has declined 8.75%, reflecting a notable negative market reaction. Our momentum scanner has triggered 46 alerts so far, indicating elevated trading interest and price volatility. The stock is currently trading at $610.60. This price movement has removed approximately $162.87B from the company's valuation.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus (15 min delayed). Upgrade to Gold for real-time data.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
META was down 1.07% pre-release while key peers like GOOG and GOOGL were modestly higher (around 0.2%), suggesting stock-specific dynamics rather than a clean sector move.
Previous Earnings Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 28 | Q4/FY 2025 earnings | Positive | +10.4% | Strong Q4 and full-year 2025 growth with robust operating income and guidance. |
| Oct 29 | Q3 2025 earnings | Negative | -11.3% | Solid revenue overshadowed by large non-cash tax charge hitting GAAP earnings. |
| Jul 30 | Q2 2025 earnings | Positive | +11.3% | Revenue and operating income growth with margin expansion and capital returns. |
| Apr 30 | Q1 2025 earnings | Positive | +4.2% | Strong revenue, EPS growth and user expansion with favorable forward guidance. |
| Jan 29 | Q4/FY 2024 earnings | Positive | +1.6% | Double-digit revenue and EPS growth with higher operating margin and user gains. |
Earnings releases have typically produced positive price moves, even when results included complex tax or regulatory elements.
Across the last five earnings events from Jan 29, 2025 through Jan 28, 2026, Meta consistently reported double‑digit revenue growth and strong user engagement, with Family DAP rising into the mid‑3 billion range. Price reactions were mostly positive, including a 10.4% move on the prior Q4/FY 2025 report, though Q3 2025 showed a sharp drop tied to a one‑time tax charge. Today’s Q1 2026 results extend that pattern of robust top‑ and bottom‑line expansion.
Historical Comparison
Over the past five earnings releases, META moved an average of 3.22%, with mostly positive reactions, framing Q1 2026 as part of a pattern of strong, market-moving reports.
Earnings updates from early 2024 through Q4 2025 show sustained double-digit revenue growth, expanding user metrics, and rising AI and infrastructure investment, providing a backdrop for the latest Q1 2026 results.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights robust Q1 2026 growth, with revenue, net income and EPS all rising strongly alongside higher ad impressions and pricing. Management reaffirmed full-year expense guidance but raised the capital expenditure outlook, underscoring ongoing AI and infrastructure investment. History shows Meta’s earnings updates often move the stock, so investors may watch how future quarters track this revenue trajectory, capex discipline, user growth around 3.56B DAP, and evolving legal and regulatory developments.
Key Terms
free cash flow financial
non-gaap financial
capital expenditures financial
regulation fd regulatory
effective tax rate financial
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
"We had a milestone quarter with strong momentum across our apps and the release of our first model from Meta Superintelligence Labs," said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO. "We're on track to deliver personal superintelligence to billions of people."
First Quarter 2026 Financial Highlights
Three Months Ended March 31, | % Change | |||||
In millions, except percentages and per share amounts | 2026 | 2025 | ||||
Revenue | $ 56,311 | $ 42,314 | 33 % | |||
Costs and expenses | 33,439 | 24,759 | 35 % | |||
Income from operations | $ 22,872 | $ 17,555 | 30 % | |||
Operating margin | 41 % | 41 % | ||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes (1) | $ (5,021) | $ 1,738 | NM | |||
Effective tax rate (1) | (23) % | 9 % | ||||
Net income | $ 26,773 | $ 16,644 | 61 % | |||
Diluted earnings per share (EPS) (1) | $ 10.44 | $ 6.43 | 62 % | |||
____________________________________ |
NM — not meaningful |
(1) Includes an |
First Quarter 2026 Operational and Other Financial Highlights
- Family daily active people (DAP) – DAP was 3.56 billion on average for March 2026, an increase of
4% year-over-year. The slight decline in DAP on a quarter-over-quarter basis was driven by internet disruptions inIran , as well as a restriction on access to WhatsApp inRussia . - Ad impressions – Ad impressions delivered across our Family of Apps increased by
19% year-over-year. - Average price per ad – Average price per ad increased by
12% year-over-year. - Revenue – Revenue was
$56.31 billion 33% year-over-year. Revenue on a constant currency basis would have increased by29% year-over-year. - Costs and expenses – Total costs and expenses were
$33.44 billion 35% year-over-year. - Capital expenditures – Capital expenditures, including principal payments on finance leases, were
$19.84 billion - Capital return program – Dividend and dividend equivalent payments were
$1.35 billion - Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities – Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were
$81 - Cash flow – Cash flow from operating activities was
$32.23 billion $12.39 billion - Headcount – Headcount was 77,986 as of March 31, 2026, an increase of
1% year-over-year.
____________________________________ |
(1) For more information on our free cash flow non-GAAP financial measure, see the sections entitled "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results" in this press release. |
CFO Outlook Commentary
We expect second quarter 2026 total revenue to be in the range of
We expect full year 2026 total expenses to be in the range of
We continue to expect to deliver operating income this year that is above 2025 operating income.
We anticipate 2026 capital expenditures, including principal payments on finance leases, to be in the range of
Absent any changes to our tax landscape, we expect our tax rate for the remaining quarters of 2026 to be between 13
Lastly, we continue to monitor active legal and regulatory matters, including headwinds in the EU and the
Webcast and Conference Call Information
Meta will host a conference call to discuss its results at 2:30 p.m. PT / 5:30 p.m. ET today. The live webcast of the call can be accessed at the Meta Investor Relations website at investor.atmeta.com, along with the company's earnings press release, financial tables, and slide presentation.
Following the call, a replay will be available at the same website. Transcripts of conference calls with publishing equity research analysts held today will also be posted to the investor.atmeta.com website.
Disclosure Information
Meta uses the investor.atmeta.com and meta.com/news websites as well as Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook profile (facebook.com/zuck), Instagram account (instagram.com/zuck) and Threads profile (threads.net/zuck) as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.
About Meta
Meta is building the future of human connection, powered by artificial intelligence and immersive technologies. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward experiences that foster deeper connections and unlock new possibilities.
Contacts
Investors:
Kenneth Dorell
investor@meta.com / investor.atmeta.com
Press:
Matt Tye
press@meta.com / meta.com/news
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our future business plans and expectations. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors including: the impact of macroeconomic conditions on our business and financial results, including as a result of geopolitical events; our ability to retain or increase users and engagement levels; our reliance on advertising revenue; our dependency on data signals and mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that we do not control; changes to the content or application of third-party policies that impact our advertising practices; risks associated with new products and changes to existing products as well as other new business initiatives, including our artificial intelligence initiatives and Reality Labs efforts; our emphasis on community growth and engagement and the user experience over short-term financial results; maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation; our ongoing privacy, safety, security, and content and advertising review and enforcement efforts; competition; risks associated with government actions that could restrict access to our products or impair our ability to sell advertising in certain countries; litigation and government inquiries; privacy, legislative, and regulatory concerns or developments; risks associated with acquisitions; security breaches; our ability to manage our scale and geographically-dispersed operations; and market conditions or other factors affecting capital return to stockholders. These and other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on January 29, 2026, which is available on our Investor Relations website at investor.atmeta.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. In addition, please note that the date of this press release is April 29, 2026, and any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. We undertake no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.
For a discussion of limitations in the measurement of certain of our community metrics, see the section entitled "Limitations of Key Metrics and Other Data" in our most recent quarterly or annual report filed with the SEC.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement our condensed consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in
We believe these non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with useful supplemental information about the financial performance of our business, enable comparison of financial results between periods where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in operating our business.
Our non-GAAP financial measures are adjusted for the following items:
Foreign exchange effect on revenue. To calculate revenue on a constant currency basis, we translate current period revenue using the prior year's monthly exchange rates for our settlement or billing currencies other than the
Purchases of property and equipment; Principal payments on finance leases. We subtract both purchases of property and equipment, and principal payments on finance leases in our calculation of free cash flow because we believe that these two items collectively represent the amount of property and equipment we need to procure to support our business, regardless of whether we procure such property or equipment with a finance lease. We believe that this methodology can provide useful supplemental information to help investors better understand underlying trends in our business. Free cash flow is not intended to represent our residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures.
For more information on our non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures, see the "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results" table in this press release.
META PLATFORMS, INC. | |||
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME | |||
(In millions, except per share amounts) | |||
(Unaudited) | |||
Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
2026 | 2025 | ||
Revenue | $ 56,311 | $ 42,314 | |
Costs and expenses: | |||
Cost of revenue | 10,218 | 7,572 | |
Research and development | 17,699 | 12,150 | |
Marketing and sales | 2,908 | 2,757 | |
General and administrative | 2,614 | 2,280 | |
Total costs and expenses | 33,439 | 24,759 | |
Income from operations | 22,872 | 17,555 | |
Interest and other income (expense), net | (1,120) | 827 | |
Income before income taxes | 21,752 | 18,382 | |
Provision (benefit) for income taxes | (5,021) | 1,738 | |
Net income | $ 26,773 | $ 16,644 | |
Earnings per share: | |||
Basic | $ 10.57 | $ 6.59 | |
Diluted | $ 10.44 | $ 6.43 | |
Weighted-average shares used to compute earnings per share: | |||
Basic | 2,534 | 2,527 | |
Diluted | 2,564 | 2,590 | |
META PLATFORMS, INC. | |||
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS | |||
(In millions) | |||
(Unaudited) | |||
March 31, 2026 | December 31, 2025 | ||
Assets | |||
Current assets: | |||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ 23,426 | $ 35,873 | |
Marketable securities | 57,754 | 45,719 | |
Accounts receivable, net | 17,470 | 19,769 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 11,115 | 7,361 | |
Total current assets | 109,765 | 108,722 | |
Non-marketable equity investments | 28,410 | 27,524 | |
Property and equipment, net | 194,776 | 176,400 | |
Operating lease right-of-use assets | 23,268 | 20,404 | |
Goodwill | 24,748 | 24,534 | |
Other assets | 14,283 | 8,437 | |
Total assets | $ 395,250 | $ 366,021 | |
Liabilities and stockholders' equity | |||
Current liabilities: | |||
Accounts payable | $ 13,326 | $ 8,894 | |
Operating lease liabilities, current | 2,414 | 2,213 | |
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | 31,013 | 30,729 | |
Total current liabilities | 46,753 | 41,836 | |
Operating lease liabilities, non-current | 25,607 | 22,940 | |
Long-term debt | 58,748 | 58,744 | |
Long-term income taxes | 16,849 | 21,005 | |
Other liabilities | 3,612 | 4,253 | |
Total liabilities | 151,569 | 148,778 | |
Commitments and contingencies | |||
Stockholders' equity: | |||
Common stock and additional paid-in capital | 99,337 | 95,793 | |
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) | (303) | 271 | |
Retained earnings | 144,647 | 121,179 | |
Total stockholders' equity | 243,681 | 217,243 | |
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ 395,250 | $ 366,021 | |
META PLATFORMS, INC. | |||
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS | |||
(In millions) | |||
(Unaudited) | |||
Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
2026 | 2025 | ||
Cash flows from operating activities | |||
Net income | $ 26,773 | $ 16,644 | |
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: | |||
Depreciation and amortization | 5,999 | 3,900 | |
Share-based compensation | 6,032 | 4,147 | |
Deferred income taxes | 123 | (993) | |
Unrealized (gain) loss on equity investments | 1,075 | (135) | |
Other | (17) | (96) | |
Changes in assets and liabilities: | |||
Accounts receivable | 2,128 | 2,804 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | (2,424) | 360 | |
Other assets | (1,082) | (52) | |
Accounts payable | (937) | (1,034) | |
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | (271) | (2,231) | |
Other liabilities | (5,173) | 712 | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | 32,226 | 24,026 | |
Cash flows from investing activities | |||
Purchases of property and equipment | (18,997) | (12,941) | |
Purchases of marketable securities | (32,978) | (11,763) | |
Sales and maturities of marketable securities | 19,176 | 4,784 | |
Purchases of non-marketable equity investments | (544) | (100) | |
Payments for held-for-sale assets | (118) | — | |
Acquisitions of businesses and intangible assets | (372) | (1) | |
Other investing activities | 155 | 11 | |
Net cash used in investing activities | (33,678) | (20,010) | |
Cash flows from financing activities | |||
Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards | (4,423) | (4,883) | |
Repurchases of Class A common stock | — | (12,754) | |
Payments for dividends and dividend equivalents | (1,346) | (1,329) | |
Principal payments on finance leases | (843) | (751) | |
Other financing activities | 59 | 222 | |
Net cash used in financing activities | (6,553) | (19,495) | |
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and | 7 | 112 | |
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash | (7,998) | (15,367) | |
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents at beginning | 39,100 | 45,438 | |
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents at end | $ 31,102 | $ 30,071 | |
Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash | |||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ 23,426 | $ 28,750 | |
Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents, included in prepaid expenses and | 340 | 71 | |
Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents, included in other assets | 7,336 | 1,250 | |
Total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents | $ 31,102 | $ 30,071 | |
Supplemental cash flow data | |||
Cash paid for income taxes, net | $ 541 | $ 448 | |
Segment Results
We report our financial results for our two reportable segments: Family of Apps (FoA) and Reality Labs (RL). FoA includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and other services. RL includes our virtual and augmented reality related consumer hardware, software, and content.
The following table sets forth our segment information of revenue and income (loss) from operations:
Segment Information | |||
(In millions) | |||
(Unaudited) | |||
Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
2026 | 2025 | ||
Revenue: | |||
Advertising | $ 55,024 | $ 41,392 | |
Other revenue | 885 | 510 | |
Family of Apps | 55,909 | 41,902 | |
Reality Labs | 402 | 412 | |
Total revenue | $ 56,311 | $ 42,314 | |
Income (loss) from operations: | |||
Family of Apps | $ 26,900 | $ 21,765 | |
Reality Labs | (4,028) | (4,210) | |
Total income from operations | $ 22,872 | $ 17,555 | |
Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results | |||
(In millions, except percentages) | |||
(Unaudited) | |||
Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
2026 | 2025 | ||
GAAP revenue | $ 56,311 | $ 42,314 | |
Foreign exchange effect on 2026 revenue using 2025 rates | (1,749) | ||
Revenue excluding foreign exchange effect | $ 54,562 | ||
GAAP revenue year-over-year change % | 33 % | ||
Revenue excluding foreign exchange effect year-over-year change % | 29 % | ||
GAAP advertising revenue | $ 55,024 | $ 41,392 | |
Foreign exchange effect on 2026 advertising revenue using 2025 rates | (1,734) | ||
Advertising revenue excluding foreign exchange effect | $ 53,290 | ||
GAAP advertising revenue year-over-year change % | 33 % | ||
Advertising revenue excluding foreign exchange effect year-over-year change % | 29 % | ||
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ 32,226 | $ 24,026 | |
Purchases of property and equipment | (18,997) | (12,941) | |
Principal payments on finance leases | (843) | (751) | |
Free cash flow | $ 12,386 | $ 10,334 | |
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SOURCE Meta