On Wednesday, Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its Buy rating on Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:), maintaining the stock’s price target at $636.00. The financial institution’s analysis followed the release of Meta’s third-quarter earnings for the year 2024, which showed revenues slightly surpassing Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street estimates, as well as falling within the upper limit of the company’s previously guided range.
The company’s forward guidance for the fourth quarter of 2024 indicates expected revenues between $45 billion and $48 billion. This projection is positioned to potentially drive upward revisions of future earnings estimates. Meta’s operating income for the quarter was approximately 13% above Goldman Sachs’ projections, albeit slightly below other Wall Street expectations.
Meta’s performance reflected a balance of strong revenue growth and operational efficiency within its Family of Apps segment, which in turn supports the funding of operational losses in its Reality Labs division. Additionally, Meta narrowed its full-year 2024 expense forecast to $96 billion to $98 billion and capital expenditure (capex) to $38 billion to $40 billion, with one quarter left in the fiscal year.
The analyst anticipates that the earnings call will concentrate on several key areas. These include the impact of the broader macroeconomic environment, regulatory changes affecting user and advertising trends, Meta’s unique revenue dynamics, management’s perspective on the development of artificial intelligence, mixed reality, and spatial computing, as well as the interpretation of the company’s operational expenditure and capital expenditure trends over the coming years.
In other recent news, Meta Platforms Inc. has projected an increase in revenue for the holiday quarter, driven by anticipated robust advertising spending. The company’s third-quarter earnings report revealed a profit of $6.03 per share, surpassing the consensus estimate of $5.25 per share. The company’s revenue reached $40.59 billion, slightly above the analysts’ predictions. For the fourth quarter, Meta expects its revenue to be between $45 billion and $48 billion, higher than the average analyst estimate.
In a different development, Donald Trump has pledged to pursue legal actions against opponents and tech giants, including Meta Platforms, if he wins the upcoming election. Trump accused Meta of potential election interference and criticized CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s donations to election infrastructure. He threatened legal consequences if found engaging in illegal activities.
InvestingPro Insights
Meta Platforms Inc. continues to demonstrate strong financial performance, aligning with Goldman Sachs’ bullish outlook. According to InvestingPro data, Meta’s revenue growth remains robust at 24.28% over the last twelve months, with an impressive gross profit margin of 81.49%. This financial strength is further underscored by Meta’s P/E ratio of 29.42, which suggests a reasonable valuation considering its growth prospects.
InvestingPro Tips highlight Meta’s financial health, noting that the company “holds more cash than debt on its balance sheet” and has “liquid assets exceed short term obligations.” These factors contribute to Meta’s financial flexibility, potentially supporting its ongoing investments in AI and mixed reality technologies, as mentioned in the earnings call focus areas.
The company’s strong market position is reflected in its substantial market capitalization of $1.5 trillion USD. Additionally, an InvestingPro Tip indicates that “9 analysts have revised their earnings upwards for the upcoming period,” which aligns with Goldman Sachs’ expectation of potential upward revisions to future earnings estimates.
For investors seeking more comprehensive insights, InvestingPro offers 17 additional tips on Meta Platforms Inc., providing a deeper analysis of the company’s financial health and market position.
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