Facebook is expected to report first-quarter earnings and revenue in extended trading on Wednesday, and investors will be watching for clues on how the social network plans to monetize its key Stories feature.
Wall Street anticipates that the company will report earnings of $1.63 per share ー down from $1.69 a year ago ー and revenue of $14.9 billion, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
Facebook ($FB) shares have rebounded close to 50 percent since December lows. The stock had weakened throughout 2018 following a series of data breaches and privacy scandals. Its recovery suggests investors may be feeling confident Facebook can weather future regulatory or privacy challenges that come its way.
That doesn't, of course, discount any more potential revelations regarding Facebook's privacy mismanagement. Facebook disclosed on Apr. 19 ー the same day that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia and the White House dropped ー that login info for millions of Instagram users had been stored in a readable format on Facebook's internal servers, Common Dreams reported.
Facebook's fourth-quarter results reinforced investor optimism. The company reported stronger than anticipated earnings and revenue, despite ongoing controversy over the company's handling of privacy and its users' data. The company's earnings jumped 68 percent since the previous year and revenue climbed by about 61 percent, CNBC reported. Facebook also saw daily active users grow in its core Facebook product, even the U.S., where active users had previously plateaued.
The company also announced last quarter it would stop breaking out active users for its core Facebook platform, instead wrapping them into metrics from its other properties. That move would likely hide stagnation for Facebook, but also could hamper bigger growth numbers from products like Instagram.
Lastly, Facebook has been laser-focused on its Stories features and messaging apps. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook will shift focus toward encrypted and private messaging, despite the company's rather checkered history with privacy. Facebook execs could share clarification on its plans to monetize Stories and unify messaging on a call with investors after the social media giant reports earnings.
Ford Pro has teamed up with Salesforce to launch 'VIIZR.' a new software service designed to help small businesses and tradespeople succeed. The newly launched tool will help small businesses simplify commercial activities including invoicing, scheduling and managing requests, from one integrated, cloud-based platform. Ted Cannis, CEO, Ford Pro, joined Cheddar to discuss.
a new study by The Buy Safe America Coalition shows retail theft has ballooned to over $68 billion per year. Most of these thefts are the result of something called organized retail crime. Those stolen goods are resold to unsuspecting consumers, often on popular online marketplaces like Facebook marketplace, eBay, OfferUp, and letgo. Mike Combs, Director of Organized Retail Crime Investigations at The Home Depot, joined Cheddar to discuss organized retail crime, how to identify it, and what can be done to stop it.
Online broker TradeStation Group has landed on Wall Street. The company went public via SPAC deal, valuing the combined venture at $1.4 billion. John Bartleman , President & CEO TradeStation Group, Inc. joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Samsung is getting a major shake-up. In its biggest reshuffle since 2017, the South Korean company is merging its mobile and consumer electronics divisions and replacing its three CEOs with two new leaders. The move is seen as an effort to simplify its structure and focus more on the semiconductor business. Paulina Likos, investing reporter for U.S. News & World Report, explains why Samsung is merging these two units now, and its potential priorities moving forward.
Sarah E. Needleman, reporter at The Wall Street Journal joins Cheddar News to discuss the recent AWS outage and if the internet is too dependent on Amazon.
Following bombshell reports about Instagram's toxic impacts on the mental health of teens and children, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, was summoned to capitol hill to answer questions. Today's hearing was part of a series of six hearings on protecting children online. Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media joins Cheddar News to discuss.
A packed Thursday pod: Carlo and Baker cover the latest developments in the Ghislaine Maxwell, Jussie Smollett and Elizabeth Holmes trials. Plus, Dems are losing the Hispanic vote, Boris Johnson in trouble again, and is it possible that Adele has peaked?
