Core Viewpoint - Meta Platforms, Inc. reported strong Q3 results, exceeding revenue and operating income estimates, but rising AI-related expenditures have tempered near-term margin outlook [1][2][3] Financial Performance - Q3 revenue and operating income were up 4% and 5% respectively compared to consensus estimates, driven by strong pricing and volume growth [3] - The Q4 revenue guidance is 3% above consensus estimates, reflecting AI-driven gains in engagement and monetization [3] Capital Expenditure and Operating Expenses - Meta has raised its capital expenditure and operating expense guidance for 2025, indicating an acceleration in operating expense growth and higher year-over-year capital expenditure growth due to increased AI infrastructure spending [2][3] - The price target for Meta's stock has been adjusted to $810 from $875 while maintaining a Buy rating [1][3] Strategic Focus - The company is expanding its advertising capabilities and making significant investments in artificial intelligence and the metaverse [3]

Core Insights - The company is experiencing uncertainty around AI investments, similar to past sentiments regarding the metaverse, with a notable increase in spending being communicated [1][2] - Investors are questioning the return on significant capital expenditures (capex) aimed at achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) and how this will impact advertising revenue [2][6] - Comparatively, Alphabet is expected to deliver faster earnings growth than the company, with projections of 25-26% growth versus only 3% for the company next year [5][6] Financial Metrics - The company is forecasted to grow earnings per share by only 3% next year, while Alphabet is projected to grow at a significantly higher rate [5] - The current trading multiples for Alphabet and the company are similar, but Alphabet is expected to achieve approximately 50% faster earnings growth over the next two years [6] Spending and Investment Strategy - There is a focus on whether the company can reduce its spending, as many of its capital expenditure plans may already be committed [7][8] - The CFO indicated that next year's budget is not fully finalized, suggesting potential for adjustments based on investor feedback [8] - A recent corporate bond issuance has seen significant oversubscription, indicating that there is market support for the company's capital expenditures [9][10]

Core Insights - Meta Platforms, Inc. is a leading social technology company with a diverse app portfolio and a strong presence in digital advertising, focusing on AI and metaverse investments [2][3] - The company has transitioned from user growth to efficiency and profitability, achieving record margins and free cash flow while investing in long-term projects [3] - The DCF analysis indicates an intrinsic value per share of approximately $333, while the current market price is around $667, suggesting a significant margin of safety [5][6] Company Profile - Meta operates a family of apps including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, with over 3 billion users [2] - The company is heavily investing in AI-driven engagement and virtual reality, positioning itself for future growth [2] Financial Analysis - DCF inputs include a discount rate of 10% and a terminal growth rate of 3% [4] - Forecasted free cash flows from 2025 to 2029 show a total present value of $218.9 billion, with a terminal value of $943.4 billion leading to an enterprise value of $813.9 billion [4] - Meta has a net cash position of $28.8 billion, resulting in an equity value of $842.7 billion [5] Valuation Insights - The intrinsic value per share is calculated at approximately $333, while the current price is about $667, indicating a 50% margin of safety [5] - The market seems to be pricing in expectations of sustained double-digit growth and further operational leverage [6] - Despite being a strong long-term investment, the current valuation does not present a deep-value opportunity [6]

Meta and Microsoft's big AI spending plans have investors on edge, and both stocks are lower. Traders are starting to punish companies for capex spending is seen as a warning sign. Sign up for Business Insider's daily markets newsletter here. Mega-cap tech firms keep spending loads of cash on AI — and investors are starting to rebel. That was evident after Meta and Microsoft — two of the largest companies at the center of the AI revolution — saw their stock prices drop on Wednesday, after earnings ...

TRENDING: You Don't Have To Dig Far To Cash In On Rare Earths Kid-centric online service Roblox (RBLX) on Thursday beat expectations for the third quarter and guided higher than views for the current period. But Roblox stock fell after the report. Based on the midpoint of its guidance, Roblox expects bookings in the fourth quarter of $2.03 billion, vs. the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. In Q4 last year, it generated bookings of $1.36 billion. "Our third-quarter results demonstrate the tremendous progr ...

Upgrades - Barclays upgraded Verisk Analytics (VRSK) to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $275, down from $310, citing that long-term headwinds are temporary/manageable within a 6%-8% growth range [2] - Stephens upgraded C.H. Robinson (CHRW) to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $173, up from $135, following a solid Q3 adjusted EPS beat due to productivity gains [3] - Telsey Advisory upgraded Steven Madden (SHOO) to Outperform from Market Perform with a price target of $43, believing that Kurt Geiger will complement the existing business and position the company well for potential cyclical improvements in the fashion segment [4] - Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $28, arguing that a $27-$30 takeout price seems reasonable as the company is up for sale [5] - H.C. Wainwright double upgraded Coinbase (COIN) to Buy from Sell with a price target of $425, up from $300, citing a bullish outlook for crypto asset prices in Q4 and favorable regulatory conditions [5] Downgrades - Oppenheimer downgraded Meta Platforms (META) to Perform from Outperform without a price target, noting significant investments in superintelligence despite unknown revenue opportunities [6] - Deutsche Bank downgraded Boeing (BA) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $240, down from $255, cutting free cash flow estimates through 2028 by up to 56% following the earnings report [6] - Evercore ISI downgraded Etsy (ETSY) to In Line from Outperform with a price target of $73, up from $72, indicating that the algorithm may lose appeal and predicting margin contraction and modest adjusted EBITDA decline in 2026 [6] - UBS downgraded Fiserv (FI) to Neutral from Buy with a price target of $75, down from $170, due to a reset in the near- to medium-term outlook and increased uncertainty [6] - Barclays downgraded FMC (FMC) to Equal Weight from Overweight with a price target of $22, down from $48, citing soft results and limited visibility on earnings along with a surprise cut in its dividend [6]

Core Insights - Amaze Holdings, Inc. has formed a strategic partnership with Dubit.io to create immersive brand experiences in gaming environments, focusing on 3D storefronts that enhance creator and brand engagement in the metaverse [1][2][3] Partnership Overview - The collaboration will integrate Amaze Moments, an adaptive AI engine, with Dubit's gaming expertise, allowing for the transformation of storefronts within popular gaming platforms [2] - Dubit will oversee the integration of Amaze-connected 3D stores within its partner game network, optimizing merchandise design and store engagement [2][3] Revenue Generation - The partnership aims to empower developers and creators to unlock new revenue streams through customized merchandise sales with minimal time commitment [3] - Participating games and creators will have the opportunity to earn revenue from merchandise sales, enhancing their engagement with fans [3] Implementation Timeline - The first Amaze 3D storefronts are expected to launch in select Dubit partner games in the coming months, with further rollouts planned through 2026 [4] Company Background - Amaze Holdings, Inc. is a creator-powered commerce platform that provides tools for product creation and e-commerce solutions, enabling creators to connect with audiences and generate income [5] - Dubit is a gaming agency that helps brands engage with audiences in gaming environments, leveraging its expertise to create measurable results for brands [6][7]

So just yesterday on the show we were talking about when is too much capex spending too much basically. Um they raised the guidance when it came to capex spending but not by a lot. I mean the midpoint only went up about two billion.That seems like small potatoes these days. Why do you think investors reacted so sharply to the capex spending or do you think it was more about that charge. >> Well I I think it's probably both.Right. We all remember uh when Zuck was doing the metaverse, the legless metaverse an ...

Core Insights - Meta Platforms Inc. continues to invest heavily in the metaverse, focusing on virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies [1] Financial Performance - In the third quarter, the Reality Labs division reported an operating loss of $4.4 billion, with sales of $470 million, outperforming Wall Street's expectations of a $5.1 billion loss and $316 million in revenue [2] - Since late 2020, Reality Labs has accumulated over $70 billion in cumulative losses, highlighting the significant costs associated with developing VR, AR, and consumer hardware [3] Product Development - The Reality Labs unit is responsible for the Quest-branded VR headsets and AI smart glasses developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica [3] - The recently launched $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses are the first consumer-ready AI glasses from Meta, featuring a built-in display and a wristband with neural technology [4] Market Response - EssilorLuxottica reported that the AI glasses contributed positively to its sales in the third quarter, indicating a successful product launch [4] - The CFO of EssilorLuxottica noted a significant lift in sales attributed to the Ray-Ban Meta wearables, suggesting a potential shift in Meta's metaverse strategy [5] Leadership Changes - Vishal Shah, previously leading Meta's metaverse initiatives, has transitioned to a vice president role in AI products within the Superintelligence Labs division [5]

Core Viewpoint - Meta Platforms is set to report earnings, with expectations of significant stock movement based on the results, which could either lead to a gap up or gap down in stock price [2][3]. Earnings Expectations - The company is anticipated to report earnings of $6.61 per share on revenue of $49.34 billion, with a Whisper number of $7.21 per share indicating a more optimistic outlook [3]. Historical Earnings Performance - Meta's earnings have shown substantial growth over the years: $9.78 in 2020, $13.77 in 2021, a drop to $8.59 in 2022, followed by a rise to $15.56 in 2023, $23.86 in 2024, and projected growth to $28.29 in 2025 and $30.19 in 2026. The current price-to-earnings ratio stands at 27, comparable to the S&P 500 [4]. Technical Analysis - The stock is currently trading approximately 6% below its all-time high, indicating a bullish trend as it has recovered from a double-digit decline earlier in the year. Key support levels are identified at the 50-day and 200-day moving averages [5]. Company Overview - Meta Platforms, Inc. focuses on developing products that facilitate connections and sharing among users through various platforms, including mobile devices and virtual reality [6][8]. Segment Breakdown - The company operates in two main segments: - Family of Apps, which includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, providing various social networking and messaging services [7]. - Reality Labs, which offers augmented and virtual reality products, enhancing connectivity through consumer hardware and software [8].