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Social Networking Stocks Q4 Recap: Benchmarking Meta (NASDAQ:META)

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META Cover Image
Social Networking Stocks Q4 Recap: Benchmarking Meta (NASDAQ:META)

Let’s dig into the relative performance of Meta (NASDAQ:META) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q4 social networking earnings season.

Businesses must meet their customers where they are, which over the past decade has come to mean on social networks. In 2020, users spent over 2.5 hours a day on social networks, a figure that has increased every year since measurement began. As a result, businesses continue to shift their advertising and marketing dollars online.

The 5 social networking stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.5% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 1.2% below.

While some social networking stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have collectively declined. On average, share prices are down 1.6% since the latest earnings results.

Weakest Q4: Meta (NASDAQ:META)

Famously founded by Mark Zuckerberg in his Harvard dorm, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) operates a collection of the largest social networks in the world - Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, along with its metaverse focused Reality Labs.

Meta reported revenues of $48.39 billion, up 20.6% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a mixed quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

"We continue to make good progress on AI, glasses, and the future of social media," said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO.

Meta Total Revenue
Meta Total Revenue

The stock is up 3.5% since reporting and currently trades at $700.

Is now the time to buy Meta? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Snap (NYSE:SNAP)

Founded by Stanford University students Evan Spiegel, Reggie Brown, and Bobby Murphy, and originally called Picaboo, Snapchat (NYSE: SNAP) is an image centric social media network.

Snap reported revenues of $1.56 billion, up 14.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 0.6%. The business had a strong quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and solid growth in its users.

Snap Total Revenue
Snap Total Revenue

Although it had a fine quarter compared to its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 7.4% since reporting. It currently trades at $10.76.

Is now the time to buy Snap? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Yelp (NYSE:YELP)

Founded by PayPal alumni Jeremy Stoppelman and Russel Simmons, Yelp (NYSE:YELP) is an online platform that helps people discover local businesses through crowd-sourced reviews.