Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, took investors and analysts by surprise with its first-quarter earnings results. Wednesday’s report revealed that Meta not only topped expectations by a healthy margin but also recorded sales growth after three consecutive negative quarters.
As a result of Meta’s strong performance in Q1, the company’s stock soared in after-hours trading. The shares jumped almost 12% compared to Wednesday’s close price of $209.40.
Meta’s revenue grew by 3% compared to the same period last year and came to $28.65 billion. The analysts polled by Bloomberg expected a decline and revenue of $27.67 billion. The $2.20 in earnings per share topped the estimated EPS of $2.01, while advertising revenue of $28.1 billion was also well above the expected $26.76 billion.
“We had a good quarter, and our community continues to grow,” Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. “We’re also becoming more efficient so we can build better products faster and put ourselves in a stronger position to deliver our long-term vision.”
Among other numbers, Meta raised its forecast for the second quarter of 2023 to $29.5 billion-$32 billion, compared to an estimated $29.48 billion. The company also reported a $1 billion loss from the restructuring process it underwent earlier this year and expects an additional $500 million in costs from the job cuts.