Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to other peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Meta (NASDAQ:META), and the best and worst performers in the social networking group.
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 4 social networking stocks we track reported a mixed Q3; on average, revenues beat analyst consensus estimates by 2.8% while next quarter's revenue guidance was in line with consensus. Stocks have faced challenges as investors prioritize near-term cash flows, but social networking stocks held their ground better than others, with the share prices up 35.2% on average since the previous earnings results.
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 Facebook Reality Labs.
Meta reported revenues of $34.15 billion, up 23.2% year on year, topping analyst expectations by 2%. It was a mixed quarter for the company, with underwhelming revenue guidance for the next quarter. On the other hand, Meta beat analysts' revenue and EPS estimates this quarter, driven by better-than-expected monthly active user growth.
"We had a good quarter for our community and business," said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO.
Meta achieved the fastest revenue growth of the whole group. The company reported 3.96 billion monthly active users, up 6.7% year on year. The stock is up 19.4% since the results and currently trades at $357.66.
Is now the time to buy Meta? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.
Best Q3: 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 $1.19 billion, up 5.3% year on year, outperforming analyst expectations by 7%. It was a strong quarter for the company, with a beat of analysts' revenue estimates and solid growth in its user base.
Snap scored the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The company reported 406 million daily active users, up 11.8% year on year. The stock is up 77.7% since the results and currently trades at $17.25.
Is now the time to buy Snap? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.
Weakest Q3: Nextdoor (NYSE:KIND)
Helping residents figure out what's happening on their block in real time, Nextdoor (NYSE:KIND) is a social network that connects neighbors with each other and with local businesses.
Nextdoor reported revenues of $56.09 million, up 4% year on year, falling short of analyst expectations by 0.4%. It was a weak quarter for the company, with slow revenue growth and a miss of analysts' revenue estimates.
Nextdoor had the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth in the group. The company reported 40.4 million daily active users, up 5.5% year on year. The stock is down 5.5% since the results and currently trades at $1.72.
Read our full analysis of Nextdoor's results here.
Pinterest (NYSE:PINS)
Created with the idea of virtually replacing paper catalogues, Pinterest (NYSE: PINS) is an online image and social discovery platform.
Pinterest reported revenues of $763.2 million, up 11.5% year on year, surpassing analyst expectations by 2.7%. It was a mixed quarter for the company, with a decent beat of analysts' revenue estimates but slow revenue growth.
The company reported 482 million monthly active users, up 8.3% year on year. The stock is up 49.1% since the results and currently trades at $37.37.
Read our full, actionable report on Pinterest here, it's free.
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The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned