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.
U.S. stocks close Monday's session slight higher Monday as investors continue to monitor whether the economy will successfully avoid a recession. For many, fears over inflation and rising interest rates. Tommy Mancuso, president and co-founder of the Bad Investment Company, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Babylist is an online baby registry for expecting and new parents, who can use the platform to share what they would like to receive as gifts to celebrate their baby's birth. The company also operates as an e-commerce and content platform for baby products, saying it aims to be a one-stop solution for parents, family, and friends to buy best-in-class baby products at what is a critical and deeply personal moment in their lives. Natalie Gordon, founder and CEO of Babylist. joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
One of the hottest stocks in the news, not for its price but mostly due to its maybe pending acquisition by Elon Musk, is Twitter. Cheddar's Ken Buffa goes in-depth into why the trials and tribulations of the social media platform, currently being accused by the Musk of holding back information on spam accounts, make it the stock of the day.
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday provided announced updates for iOS 16, edits to iMessages, an “ApplePay Later” plan, which will allow users to stretch out their payments over four weeks, and new Macbooks. However, the anticipated news for realityOS, software for an augmented and virtual reality headset, did not make the cut. Cheddar News anchor Michelle Castillo had all the details about what to expect from tech giant.
Bill Nye the Science Guy is back but on an even smaller screen. America’s favorite science teacher has racked up more than eight million followers on TikTok, and he joined Cheddar News to talk about his success on the platform, having fun but also being serious about scientific topics like tackling climate change, and his newest hosting project "The End is Nye," a streaming show on Peacock that examines disasters — both natural and manmade. "There are six episodes. We have big disasters. Things go terribly wrong, and then we show you how things could have gone right," he explained.
Bill Bellissimo, CEO of Crunchtime, joins Cheddar to break down how he's guiding the food, service, and hospitality industries through the labor crisis with software and technological solutions.
On this episode of On the Job, Meg Ferrero, VP, Assistant General Counsel, ADP, discusses how to successfully find and cultivate a mentor-mentee relationship; Bill Bellissimo, CEO of Crunchtime, breaks down how he's guiding the food and hospitality industry through the labor crisis with software and technological solutions; Senior Reporter Chloe Aiello gets a first-person look at how Brooklyn Dumpling house is updating an old-school idea to revolutionize how they do business.
Sheryl Sandberg is stepping down as Chief Operating Officer of Facebook's parent company Meta. After 14 years at a company she helped transform from a little-known social media website into one of the most powerful tech giants in the world, Sandberg announced she's leaving to spend more time with her family and focus on her philanthropic work. Evan Nierman, CEO of Red Banyan Crisis PR and author of Crisis Averted, joined Cheddar to discuss Sandberg's legacy at Facebook, her impact on women in the workplace, and what we can expect to see from her in the future.
Scammers are cashing in on the crypto craze. According to a new report from the FTD, fraudsters have stolen more than $1 billion in crypto from 46,000 people since 2021. That's $1 out of every $4 reported lost to scammers paid in cryptocurrency, more than any other payment method. Chris Pierson, the founder and CEO of BlackCloak, gives tips on how to protect yourself from scammers.
