Meta Reports $64.6 Billion in Quarterly Revenue

Meta Platforms reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $64.60 billion, up 26% year-over-year, with diluted earnings per share of $3.83. The company also raised its full-year capital expenditure and expense guidance.

Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $64.60 billion, up 26% year-over-year.

Capital expenditures, including principal payments on finance leases, came to $34.91 billion for the quarter. Capital expenditures are what a company spends on long-lived assets like buildings and equipment.

Advertising remains Meta's core business. Family of Apps advertising revenue totaled $63.1 billion in the third quarter of 2026. That marked a 26% increase year-over-year, which the company attributed to ad performance gains and user engagement.

Ad impressions across the Family of Apps rose 10% year-over-year. The average price per ad climbed 14% over the same period. Both increases suggest advertisers placed a higher value on Meta's ad space during the quarter.

Capital spending guidance also moved higher. Meta now expects 2026 capital expenditures, including principal payments on finance leases, of $135-145 billion. That narrows its prior range, which had a lower bound of $130 billion. The company also said it now expects its full-year expense forecast to be $175-179 billion.

Free cash flow turned negative, at $2.12 billion in the third quarter of 2026. A year earlier, it stood at positive $10.625 billion.

Meta earned $3.83 in diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2026, up 265% from $1.05 a year earlier.

Costs and expenses included a $9.89 billion litigation charge. Operating income was $12.988 billion in the third quarter of 2026. By Meta's own calculation, operating income would have reached $22.88 billion and diluted earnings per share would have been $7.40 without the charge.

• Family Daily Active People averaged 3.64 billion in September 2026, up 3% year-over-year.
• Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $82.45 billion as of September 30, 2026.
• Meta expects fourth-quarter 2026 revenue of $73 billion to $76 billion.
• Meta stock closed at $712.65 on October 21, 2026, up 2.65% for the session.

Meta's board has approved a new class of publicly traded, non-voting Class C common stock, effective January 2027.