Did Facebook’s Revenue Continue to Grow in Q4?

Key Questions as Facebook Gets Ready to Report Q4 Results ## Growth slowdown expected Facebook (FB) is scheduled to release its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2018 on January 30. Analysts on average are expecting the company to report $16.4 billion in revenue for the quarter, suggesting growth of 26% YoY. But that would mark a sharp slowdown from growth of 47% YoY in the fourth quarter of 2017. ## Mixed 2018 results For the third quarter of 2018, the most recent reported period, Facebook posted $13.7 billion in revenue, an increase of 33% YoY but about $40 million below consensus revenue expectations for the quarter. Snap (SNAP), Twitter (TWTR), Alphabet (GOOGL), and Yelp (YELP) grew their revenues by 43%, 29%, 21%, and 8.0% YoY, respectively, in the third quarter. For the second quarter of 2018, Facebook reported revenue of $13.2 billion, representing an increase of 42% YoY. Still, revenue missed consensus estimates by about $120 million. In the first quarter of 2018, Facebook generated $12 billion in revenue, representing an increase of 49% YoY. First-quarter revenue beat consensus estimates by about $560 million. ## Fourth-quarter track record While Facebook’s quarterly growth rate has been slowing (as illustrated above) and the company has reported mixed results so far for 2018, it has routinely topped fourth-quarter expectations. In the fourth quarter of 2017, Facebook generated $13 billion in revenue, beating consensus estimates by around $420 million. In the fourth quarter of 2016, it generated revenue of $8.8 billion, exceeding consensus estimates by $300 million. In the fourth quarter of 2015, revenue was $5.8 billion, about $470 million above consensus estimates. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: * Part 2 - Did Facebook’s Profitability Improve in Q4? * Part 3 - How Facebook’s Advertising Base Is Trending * Part 4 - Samsung to Install Permanent Version of Facebook App