Earnings Preview: Meta to Report Third-Quarter Results After Wednesday's Close, With Revenue Expected Near $63.3 Billion, Up More Than 20%, as the Capex Outlook and Muse AI Draw Focus
Meta Platforms, Inc. is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 results after the U.S. market close on Wednesday, October 21, with a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The results have not yet been published. Analysts expect earnings of about $6.6 to $6.77 a share, with FactSet at $6.77, on revenue of about $63.3 billion, up roughly 24% from a year earlier. Options pricing implies a post-earnings move of about 12%; the stock closed at $709.33 on Friday, October 16, and traded in the $740 to $760 range in the days that followed.
The year-ago comparison is distorted: Meta's third-quarter 2025 results included a one-time, non-cash income tax charge of $15.9 billion linked to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which held reported earnings to $1.05 a share; excluding the charge, Meta said diluted earnings would have been $7.25, against which FactSet's $6.77 estimate is about 7% lower. In the second quarter of 2026, Meta reported revenue of $60.8 billion and earnings of $6.18 a share, missing the $7.19 consensus.
Among bank previews, Bank of America's Justin Post reiterated a Buy rating and an $810 price target, forecasting third-quarter revenue of $63.8 billion, above consensus, on SI-driven advertising growth; he also flagged a possible one-time legal settlement charge of about $10 billion linked to state attorneys general, putting his earnings estimate at $3.79. Deutsche Bank's Benjamin Black raised his revenue estimate to $63.7 billion with a Buy rating and an $820 target. Bernstein's Mark Shmulik expects revenue of $64.06 billion, about 25% higher than a year earlier.
Other points of focus include Family Daily Active People, which stood at 3.60 billion in June 2026, the performance of Reality Labs, and any change to 2026 capital expenditure guidance, currently $130 billion to $145 billion, nearly double the prior year. Meta launched Muse AI in September, and investors will look for updates on adoption and monetization.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Meta位于加州门洛帕克的总部园区航拍资料图。照片：InvadingInvader 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经维基共享资源。 / File photo: Aerial view of Meta's headquarters campus in Menlo Park, California. Photo by InvadingInvader, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-10-21Earnings Preview: Meta to Report Third-Quarter Results After Wednesday's Close, With Revenue Expected Near $63.3 Billion, Up More Than 20%, as the Capex Outlook and Muse AI Draw FocusThis story
- 2026-10-21Meta Q3 Revenue Hits $64.6 Billion, Up 26% and Above Forecasts, as a Roughly $9.9 Billion Legal Charge Weighs on Reported Profit
- 2026-10-22Meta Earnings Call: Muse Passes 10 Million Agent Setups in About Six Weeks; Reality Labs Operating Loss Expected to Narrow to About $15 Billion Next Year
- 2026-10-23Follow-Up: Meta's Q3 Free Cash Flow Turns Negative at $2.12 Billion as Shares Fall About 7% and CDS Costs Hit a Record
