Meta's revenue in the second quarter was 60.8 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 28%, slightly exceeding expectations, but the Q3 guidance and profits fell short of expectations, leading to a drop of over 10% in after-hours trading
Meta released its Q2 2026 financial report, with revenue of $60.8 billion, a year-on-year increase of 28%, slightly above the market expectation of $60.3 billion; net profit of $15.85 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 14%; earnings per share of $6.18, a year-on-year decrease of 13%. Advertising revenue was $59.36 billion, a year-on-year increase of 27%, with ad impressions increasing by 14% and average price rising by 12%. Operating profit decreased by 8% year-on-year to $18.78 billion, and the operating profit margin fell from 43% to 31%. Total costs and expenses surged by 55% year-on-year to $42 billion, which includes $2.4 billion in legal litigation expenses and $1.18 billion in layoff costs.The revenue guidance for Q3 is $61 billion to $64 billion, with a midpoint of $62.5 billion, below the market expectation of $63.2 billion. The full-year capital expenditure guidance has been adjusted from $125 billion to $145 billion to $130 billion to $145 billion. Free cash flow was only $784 million, significantly shrinking year-on-year, reaching a nearly four-year low. Meta also narrowed its full-year expense guidance for 2026 to $165 billion to $169 billion, maintaining the expectation of "operating profit above 2025." Zuckerberg stated, "AI is accelerating our core business, and the results are beginning to show." After the financial report was released, Meta's after-hours stock price briefly fell over 10%.
