Meta posts $64.6bn quarter as AI spending keeps the ad machine rolling
Meta's third quarter revenue rose 26% to $64.60bn, above the $63.3bn Bloomberg consensus as reported by Yahoo Finance, while it spent $34.91bn on capacity.
Tier Tier 1 major
Meta Platforms
META
Q3 2026
- Revenue
- $64.60 billion
- Revenue change, year on year
- 26% (company stated)
- Net income
- $9.86 billion ($9,860 million), up 264% (company stated)
- EPS (diluted, GAAP, as reported)
- $3.83 (prior year $1.05)
- One time charge (company)
- $9.89 billion charge for the agreement with 52 attorneys general. Without it, diluted EPS would have been $7.40
- Income from operations
- $12.99 billion, down 37% (company stated)
- Key segment line
- Family of Apps revenue $64,158 million (prior year $50,772 million). Reality Labs revenue $443 million, operating loss $4,129 million
- Ads
- Ad impressions up 10%, average price per ad up 14%
- Daily users
- 3.64 billion family daily active people, up 3%
- Capex (AI build)
- $34.91 billion in the quarter
- Guidance
- Q4 revenue $73 billion to $76 billion. 2026 capex $135 billion to $145 billion, narrowed from $130 billion to $145 billion. 2026 total expenses $175 billion to $179 billion (raised to include the charge)
Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, put up a big third quarter. Revenue came in at $64.60bn, up 26% from a year ago, above the $63.3bn Bloomberg consensus as reported by Yahoo Finance. Ads did the heavy lifting. The number of ads shown rose 10% and the average price per ad rose 14%. Profit per share was $3.83, the company says. A $9.89bn legal charge tied to an agreement with 52 state attorneys general cut into that, and the company says it would have been $7.40 without it. Meta spent $34.91bn in the quarter on capital spending, which means data centers and chips, and now plans $135bn to $145bn for 2026. It expects fourth quarter revenue of $73bn to $76bn. Why it matters to you: Meta is paying for one of the biggest AI builds in the league with ad money from the apps you scroll every day. Filing: Meta Platforms 8-K, filed 21 Oct 2026
Meta posted $64.60bn in third quarter revenue, up 26%, above the $63.3bn Bloomberg consensus as reported by Yahoo Finance, and set 2026 capital spending at $135bn to $145bn.
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EPS of $3.83 is GAAP diluted and includes the $9.89bn charge, and the $7.40 figure without it is the company's own. Only revenue is set against consensus. The new Class C stock and stock dividend in the same release are not part of these figures. No share prices or price moves.