Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)
Fair ValueFundamental
80
Price
$718.67
Market Cap
$1.83T
Part 1 · What the company is worth
Overview
Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, apps used by billions of people to connect, share and message, and makes almost all of its money by selling advertising space inside them. It doesn't charge users directly; instead it uses the data generated by their activity to show ads it can target precisely, and charges advertisers for that precision. A much smaller, loss-making division, Reality Labs, builds virtual- and augmented-reality headsets and is Meta's bet on a future computing platform beyond the smartphone.
How it makes money
Meta earns revenue almost entirely from advertisers who pay per ad impression or click, with price set by an auction where advertisers bid for placement in front of the specific audiences Meta's data lets them target. Because the marginal cost of showing one more ad to an existing user is close to zero, revenue growth flows through to profit at a very high rate. Reality Labs, by contrast, sells hardware and software at a steep loss, funded by the advertising business, as an investment in becoming the next computing platform.
Revenue by segment
Advertising sold across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger — nearly all of Meta's revenue.
Virtual- and augmented-reality hardware, software and content, sold at a large ongoing loss.
Competitive moat
Network effects · WideFacebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are valuable to any one user largely because everyone else is already there — friends, family and businesses — which makes a new social app hard to displace once a critical mass of users has settled on the incumbent. That same scale of users and data lets Meta's ad-targeting outperform smaller rivals, reinforcing why advertisers keep spending there even as new platforms like TikTok compete for attention.
What drives demand
CyclicalAdvertising budgets are one of the first costs companies cut when the economy slows and one of the first they restore in a recovery, so Meta's revenue tends to track the broader advertising and economic cycle more than any product-specific trend. User growth and engagement are comparatively stable; it is advertiser spending, not audience size, that swings with the cycle.
Key risks
- Regulation of data and advertising — The EU's Digital Markets Act, online-safety laws and similar rules elsewhere keep restricting how Meta can collect and use data for ad targeting, with potential fines and forced changes to its ad business.
- Near-total reliance on advertising — Almost all revenue comes from advertising and depends on data signals and mobile operating systems Meta does not control, such as changes Apple has made to privacy settings that limit ad targeting.
- Competition for user attention — Platforms such as TikTok compete directly for the time users spend on their phones, and losing engagement would eventually reduce the audience Meta sells to advertisers.
- Reality Labs losses — Reality Labs lost more than $16 billion in operating income in fiscal 2025 alone, and Meta expects the division to keep losing money for the foreseeable future with no guarantee the bet pays off.
The case for
Buyers argue that the network effect binding billions of users to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp is very hard for a new entrant to break, that advertising margins are extremely high once the platform is built, and that heavy AI investment is improving ad targeting and engagement faster than competitors can match.
The case against
Sellers worry that nearly all revenue depends on advertising, one of the first budgets companies cut in a downturn, that regulators in Europe and elsewhere keep restricting the data-driven targeting the ad business relies on, and that Reality Labs has lost over $16 billion in a single year with still no clear sign the bet on a new computing platform will pay off.
Written by the editors, published on August 18, 2026
Direct competitors
Who this company fights with for the same customers
Generated on September 19, 2026 with claude-haiku-4-5 — shared with all users
Snapchat competes with Instagram and Messenger for the daily habits of younger users and for the same performance-advertising budgets, with overlapping formats such as Stories and camera-first sharing.
Pinterest sells visual-discovery advertising to the retail, home and fashion advertisers that also buy Instagram placements, competing for the same shopping-intent audience.
Reddit competes for time spent in online communities and discussion — the ground Facebook Groups occupies — and sells the same social-feed advertising inventory to brands.
Alphabet is Meta's largest rival for digital advertising budgets and, through YouTube and YouTube Shorts, competes directly for the same user attention that Facebook, Instagram and Reels monetize.
TikTok is the short-video platform Meta itself names in its 10-K as having reduced engagement with its products, and it sells advertising to the same brands targeting the same young audiences as Instagram Reels.
X competes head-on with Meta's Threads for real-time public conversation and for the brand-advertising budgets that follow news and live events.
Balance Sheet & Liquidity
Revenue
$228.25B
Trailing 12 months (through 6/30/2026)
Net Income
$68.10B
Trailing 12 months (through 6/30/2026)
Free Cash Flow
$46.11B
Total Equity
$217.24B
Total Liabilities
$148.78B
Current Ratio
2.23
Interest Coverage
71.48
Debt/EBITDA
1.10
Earnings Per Share
Revenue & Net Income
Free Cash Flow
Income Breakdown
Historical statement
Margins over time
Debt over time
How heavy the debt is
Growth grid
Growth — Revenue
Fair Value Estimation
Fair Value
$696.15
Current Price
$718.67
Margin of Safety
-3.2%
Fair Value Range
$480.34 - $911.96
Spread across the valuation methods used, not a statistically calibrated confidence interval.
Estimation Methods
Valuation Metrics
P/E Ratio
27.08
ROE
27.8%
P/B Ratio
-
P/FCF
-
Gross Margin
81.7%
ROIC
17.4%
Profitability Radar
Value Creation (Economic Moat)
ROIC
17.4%
WACC
10.8%
ROIC − WACC
+6.7 pp
ROIC exceeds the cost of capital — the company is creating value for shareholders.
Fundamental Analysis Criteria
Passed (20)
- EPS shows upward trend
- EPS CAGR 34.35%
- Price CAGR 20.53%
- ROIC 17.4%
- Gross margin 81.7%
- Debt/equity ratio
- Operating margin 38.1%
- Positive free cash flow
- Current ratio
- Interest coverage
- Debt/EBITDA
- Return on tangible assets
- Low reliance on intangibles
- ROE 29.7%
- Revenue growth 5Y 18.5%
- Analyst consensus: 87% buy
- PEG ratio 1.46
- Earnings quality (operating cash flow / net income) 1.91
- Share dilution -1.5%
- Piotroski F-Score 5/9
Failed (4)
- CapEx intensity
- DCF valuation (Unknown)
- Earnings surprise, average 0.4%
- Net margin trend 29.8% vs 40.0%
Unavailable (4)
- P/FCF –
- P/B ratio –
- Dividend payout –
- Price below Graham Number
Piotroski F-Score
Mixed signals: some areas need attention
Earnings Quality
High quality: earnings backed by cash
Share Dilution
Buying back shares. Shareholder friendly
Institutional Holdings
Governance
Executive Team
| Name | Title | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Mr. Mark Elliot Zuckerberg | Founder, Chairman & CEO | 41 |
| Ms. Dina Powell McCormick | President & Vice Chairman | 51 |
| Ms. Susan J. S. Li | Chief Financial Officer | 39 |
| Mr. Javier Olivan | Chief Operating Officer | 48 |
| Mr. Andrew Bosworth | Chief Technology Officer | 43 |
| Mr. Christopher K. Cox | Chief Product Officer | 42 |
| Mr. Dana White | Independent Director | 55 |
| Mr. Aaron A. Anderson | Chief Accounting Officer | - |
| Mr. Atish Banerjea | Chief Information Officer | 59 |
| Mr. Henry T. A. Moniz | Chief Compliance Officer | 60 |
Audit Risk
9
Board Risk
10
Compensation Risk
10
Shareholder Rights Risk
10
Part 2 · The price and when to enter
This part won't tell you whether the company is worth owning: it helps you choose when to buy it, once the fundamentals have convinced you. Inside: technical analysis, potential, historical drawdowns, gamma exposure.
Documents
- View document
Annual Report (10-K)
A yearly overview of the business, its financial results, and the risks it faces.
Filed on 2026-01-29
- View document
Quarterly Report (10-Q)
A snapshot of financial performance for the most recent three-month period.
Filed on 2026-07-30
- View document
Current Report (8-K)
An announcement of a major event, such as a leadership change or big news.
Filed on 2026-07-29
via SEC EDGAR
Income History
via SEC EDGAR
Latest News
Recent headlines for META, sourced from Markets Gazette.
- 4d agoNEUTRALMeta VP: AI in advertising and the rise of single-person billion-dollar company
A Meta Platforms VP has urged businesses to shift their focus from optimizing existing processes with AI to fundamentally reimagining their competitive strategies. The executive emphasized that AI's true potential lies in enabling new business models and market approaches, rather than merely enhancing current operations. This perspective suggests a forward-looking strategy for companies, potentially leading to innovation and new revenue streams if adopted effectively. Investors should monitor how companies integrate this strategic AI mindset into their long-term growth plans.
- 4d agoPOSITIVEMeta stock scores a rare ‘golden cross’ buy signal as investors swarm to its top-charting AI agent
Meta Platforms Inc. (META) stock has achieved a rare 'golden cross' technical buy signal, coinciding with strong investor interest in its leading AI agent. This technical indicator, where the 50-day moving average crosses above the 200-day moving average, suggests a potential for sustained upward price momentum. The company's AI advancements have already fueled significant stock performance, and this golden cross could attract further institutional and retail investment, potentially leading to higher valuations and increased trading volume.
- 5d agoPOSITIVEHow Meta’s stock can surge to $1,000, according to the biggest bull on Wall Street
Wells Fargo analyst John Doe has reiterated a $1,000 price target for Meta Platforms Inc., projecting a potential surge by 2028. Despite acknowledging near-term headwinds from substantial AI infrastructure investments and ongoing legal expenditures that may impact immediate profits, Doe views these as strategic, albeit costly, precursors to significant long-term value creation. The analyst's conviction stems from Meta's dominant market position in social media and its aggressive pivot towards AI integration, which is expected to unlock new revenue streams and enhance user engagement, ultimately justifying the ambitious valuation.
- 9d agoNEGATIVEMeta, Hans Anders sospende in Olanda e Belgio vendita degli occhiali intelligenti
Hans Anders, a major Dutch eyewear retailer, has suspended the sale of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses in the Netherlands and Belgium. This action follows a ruling by the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) regarding privacy concerns related to the glasses' cameras. The AP's investigation focused on the collection and processing of personal data by the smart glasses, raising questions about compliance with GDPR. For Meta, this suspension in key European markets could impact sales figures and brand perception, potentially signaling broader regulatory headwinds for wearable technology.
- 10d agoPOSITIVEMeta, ServiceNow and these 7 other tech stocks could lead the next leg of the AI trade
Deutsche Bank analysts have identified Meta Platforms Inc. as a potential leader in the next phase of the AI trade, alongside ServiceNow and seven other tech stocks. This endorsement suggests a positive outlook on Meta's AI initiatives and their potential to drive future growth and stock performance. Investors may view this as a signal to consider increasing their exposure to Meta, anticipating further gains as the AI sector continues to evolve and mature throughout the remainder of the year.
- 11d agoNEUTRALThe Shopping Agent Race: Meta, Google and the China Playbook
Meta's new AI consumer app, Muse, has rapidly climbed to the top of the US App Store charts, signaling a significant move into the AI-powered shopping agent space. This development positions Meta as a direct competitor to Google in this emerging market. The app's ability to search, compare, and facilitate payments for services like hotel bookings demonstrates advanced AI capabilities. While the initial success is notable, the long-term impact on Meta's revenue and market position remains to be seen, making this a key area for investors to monitor.
via Markets Gazette