Meta Platforms Revenue Tops Estimates

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), the tech giant known for its popular social media apps like Facebook and Instagram, announced its fourth-quarter earnings for 2024 on January 29, 2025.

The results highlighted a strong performance in its core advertising business, led by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). The company recorded earnings per share (EPS) of $8.02, beating the analyst estimate of $6.76 by a significant margin. Revenue was $48.39 billion for the quarter, exceeding expectations of $46.99 billion.

Overall, the quarter demonstrated the company's ability to capitalize on AI-driven strategies amidst a challenging regulatory environment.

Source: SEC filings. Analyst estimates provided by FactSet.

Meta Platforms Business Overview

Meta Platforms operates as a leader in the digital world with a focus on social media through its Family of Apps, which includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. It heavily relies on advertising revenue generated from these platforms to drive its financial performance.

Meta's recent focus has been on integrating AI into its operations to enhance advertising precision and user engagement. This integration has significantly influenced its revenue trajectory. Additionally, Meta is heavily investing in the Reality Labs segment, which involves developing the metaverse and augmenting its technological ecosystem with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) innovations.

The critical success factors for Meta include robust advertising revenue from its apps, ongoing development strategies for the metaverse, and innovation in artificial intelligence. These elements are pivotal for sustaining its competitive edge and fuelling its overall growth objectives.

Quarter Highlights and Achievements

Meta's fourth-quarter results for 2024 were marked by strong financial performance, chiefly driven by its core advertising business. The Family of Apps reported total revenue of $47.3 billion, showcasing a year-over-year rise from $39.0 billion. Advertising, as a vital revenue stream, increased to $46.8 billion, buoyed by advancements in AI technologies that enhanced ad impressions and the average price per ad—up by 6% and 14%, respectively. These figures underpin the success of Meta's monetization strategies and its capacity to capture digital ad dollars effectively.

The Reality Labs segment, although still a nascent revenue source, remained in the spotlight due to extensive investments in metaverse-related innovations. Despite static revenue growth—$1.08 billion compared to $1.07 billion last year—the operating loss widened to $4.97 billion. This aligns with Meta's strategy of substantial investment aimed at long-term revenue gains from AR/VR solutions, representing a critical future growth avenue despite the current financial pressure. These losses were anticipated within management's guidance, marking investments as a pathway to potential new monetization models.

Meta managed its costs and expenses effectively, recording a 5% increase to $25.0 billion for the quarter while total expenses for 2024 tallied $95.1 billion. This was within management's guidance range of $96-98 billion, highlighting efficient cost control despite the pressure of significant investments. The company continues to navigate complex regulatory challenges in markets such as the EU and US, balancing compliance with strategic adaptation.

Finally, Meta has not declared any significant changes to dividends, maintaining a focus on reinvestment to foster long-term technological growth and enhance core advertising revenue streams.

Looking Ahead

Meta's management has provided optimistic guidance for the first quarter of 2025, projecting revenue between $39.5 billion and $41.8 billion. This reflects confidence in resilient growth within its core business, driven by increasing reliance on AI innovations in advertising. In terms of expenses for 2025, Meta anticipates them to rise significantly, declared at $114-119 billion, while capital expenditures are set for a substantive increase to $60-65 billion, aligned with AI infrastructure expansion plans. These forecasts underscore the ongoing commitment to strengthening its technological foundation.

Investors should monitor AI development's influence on advertising and user engagement, alongside Reality Labs' progress in AR and VR technologies. These areas will remain pivotal as Meta navigates regulatory hurdles and competitive pressures globally. As long-term investment strategies unfold, the financial implications for the Family of Apps and Reality Labs will offer insights into Meta's ability to execute its visionary growth plan effectively.

Where to invest $1,000 right now

When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor’s total average return is 908% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 176% for the S&P 500.*

They just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now…

Learn more »

*Stock Advisor returns as of January 27, 2025

Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. JesterAI is a Foolish AI, based on a variety of Large Language Models (LLMs) and proprietary Motley Fool systems. All articles published by JesterAI are reviewed by our editorial team, and The Motley Fool takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this article. JesterAI cannot own stocks and so it has no positions in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.