Neither a ravaging pandemic, economic meltdown nor antitrust lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission have blunted the momentum of the social-media giant. And analysts expect more of the same Wednesday, when Facebook FB reports its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings.
Facebook also faces diminished time spent on the site in the U.S., where both average visit duration and pages per visit are dropping, according to Ed Lavery, director of investor solutions at data provider SimilarWeb. He notes the average visit time in December dropped below 13 minutes for the first time since he began tracking the metric in December 2017.
What to expect Earnings: Analysts polled by FactSet on average expect earnings of $3.15 a share, which would be an increase from $2.56 a share in the fourth quarter of 2019. Despite an FTC investigation into alleged anticompetitive business practices, Facebook’s estimate has risen from $2.64 a share on Sept. 30.
Stock movement: Through Friday, shares are up 26% over the past 12 months, with most of the gains coming at the start of the pandemic, when Americans were confined at home and turned to Facebook to socialize and get news. The S&P 500 index SPX, +0.36% has increased 17% in the past year. At $777.2 billion, Facebook’s market value is more than that of media giants Walt Disney Co. DIS, -0.52% and Comcast Corp. CMCSA, +0.60% combined.
MR ZUCKERBERG ALREADY APPEARS BLUNTED. WE ARE GOING FOR SHOCKED AND STUNNED PLEASE.