Meta reports Wednesday: the numbers to know before META earnings

Meta (META) reports results for its quarter ending September 2026 after the close on Wednesday, 21 October. The consensus forecast is earnings of $6.67 a share, based on 10 analyst estimates compiled by Zacks and published by Nasdaq. A year earlier the company reported $7.25 for the same quarter, so the forecast implies EPS growth of -8.0%.

Shares closed at $709.33 on Friday, 16 October, down 3.72% on the day, for a market value of about $1.88T according to Nasdaq. The stock is up 7.5% so far in 2026, and sits 8.8% below its 52-week closing high of $777.59 from 24 September.

What the last report showed

In its most recent quarterly report (a 10-Q for the period ended 30 June 2026, filed 30 July), Meta reported revenue of $60.8B, up 28.0% from $47.5B a year earlier and 8.0% above the previous quarter's $56.3B. Net income was $15.8B, down from $18.3B. Diluted earnings per share came to $6.18 against $7.14 a year before.

The earnings track record

Meta has topped the consensus EPS estimate in 3 of the last 4 quarters, according to Nasdaq's earnings-surprise data. (These EPS figures are on the adjusted basis Zacks tracks, which can differ from the GAAP diluted EPS in the SEC filing.) Most recently, for the quarter ending June 2026, it reported $6.18 a share against a $7.10 forecast, a -13.0% surprise.

Measured from the close before each report date to the close of the next session after it, the shares moved an average of 9.8% (in either direction) around the last 4 releases. The biggest swing was -11.3% around the report dated 29 October 2025.

What the forecast implies

The $6.67 consensus sits 7.9% above the $6.18 Meta reported for the previous quarter.