Media

What to Expect When Facebook Reports After the Close

JaysonPhotography / iStock

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is scheduled to release its first-quarter financial results after the markets close on Wednesday. The consensus estimates call for $1.63 in earnings per share (EPS) and $14.97 billion in revenue. The same period of last year reportedly had $1.69 in (EPS) and $11.97 billion in revenue.

This social media giant is the subject of an investigation from federal prosecutors delving into its data deals with some of the world’s largest technology companies.

A New York grand jury subpoenaed records from at least two prominent makers of smartphones and other devices, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the requests and without naming the companies. But these companies rank among more than 150, including Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, that have entered into partnerships with Facebook for access to the personal information of hundreds of millions of its users.

The probes focus on disclosures that Facebook shared the user data of 87 million people with Cambridge Analytica, in addition to looking at the data deals.

Currently, Facebook is facing multiple lawsuits and regulatory inquiries in regards to its privacy practices, including ongoing investigations by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission and two state agencies in New York. Not to mention, there have been congressional hearings as well.

Overall, Facebook has outperformed the broad markets, with its stock up about 40% year to date. In the past 52 weeks, the stock is up only 10.5%.

A few analysts weighed in on Facebook ahead of the results:

  • RBC has a Buy rating and a $200 price target.
  • Cleveland Research has a Buy rating.
  • Wedbush has a Buy rating with a $200 price target.
  • BMO Capital Markets has a Positive rating with a $190 target.
  • Morgan Stanley has an Overweight rating with a $195 target.
  • Guggenheim’s Buy rating comes with a $200 price target.
  • SunTrust has a Buy rating with a $210 price target.

Shares of Facebook were last seen trading at $183.35, in a 52-week range of $123.02 to $218.62. The consensus price target is $197.14.


Are You Still Paying With a Debit Card?

The average American spends $17,274 on debit cards a year, and it’s a HUGE mistake. First, debit cards don’t have the same fraud protections as credit cards. Once your money is gone, it’s gone. But more importantly you can actually get something back from this spending every time you swipe.

Issuers are handing out wild bonuses right now. With some you can earn up to 5% back on every purchase. That’s like getting a 5% discount on everything you buy!

Our top pick is kind of hard to imagine. Not only does it pay up to 5% back, it also includes a $200 cash back reward in the first six months, a 0% intro APR, and…. $0 annual fee. It’s quite literally free money for any one that uses a card regularly. Click here to learn more!

 

Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings to provide coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.

AI Portfolio

Discover Our Top AI Stocks

Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.

You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.