FB - Facebook, Inc.
| Previous Close | 198.36 |
| Open | 199.91 |
| Bid | 0.00 x 1800 |
| Ask | 0.00 x 800 |
| Day's Range | 198.81 - 202.57 |
| 52 Week Range | 123.02 - 218.62 |
| Volume | 13,589,024 |
| Avg. Volume | 17,244,901 |
| Market Cap | 577.52B |
| Beta (3Y Monthly) | 1.30 |
| PE Ratio (TTM) | 30.03 |
| EPS (TTM) | 6.74 |
| Earnings Date | Jul 24, 2019 |
| Forward Dividend & Yield | N/A (N/A) |
| Ex-Dividend Date | N/A |
| 1y Target Est | 223.30 |
- Yahoo Finance•8 hours ago
How FAANG stocks fuel real estate demand
FAANG stocks are making a direct impact on real estate demand, says Hessam Nadji, CEO of Marcus & Millichap, buying up office space and warehouses.
- Engadget•21 hours ago
Facebook's prototype VR bangle squeezes and vibrates your wrists
If VR is ever going to go mainstream, it's going to need to ditch the bulkyaccessories while still letting people interact with the virtual world
- Investing.com•6 hours ago
Bitcoin Falls as Justin Sun Reschedules Charity Lunch With Warren Buffet
Investing.com - Bitcoin fell on Tuesday in Asia after Tron Foundation founder Justin Sun said he will reschedule a charity lunch with billionaire investor Warren Buffett for medical reasons.
- MarketWatch•7 hours ago
Facebook’s Messenger Kids had flaw that let children chat with unapproved users
Facebook Inc.’s Messenger Kids app had just one job: Prevent children from chatting with people who weren’t approved by their parents. But it apparently couldn’t even get that right.
- GuruFocus.com•8 hours ago
US Large Cap Indexes Close Higher to Start the Week on Monday
S&P; 500 up 0.28% Continue reading...
- Zacks•9 hours ago
Facebook (FB) Q2 2019 Earnings Preview: Revenue, User Growth & More
Let's check out what to expect from Facebook's (FB) Q2 earnings results and more, including user growth.
- InvestorPlace•10 hours ago
Stock Market Today: A Trio of Buys; Tech Ramps Ahead of Earnings
Equities got off to a sluggish start in the stock market today. While the S&P 500 and Dow Jones didn't put up robust gains, climbing just 0.23% and 0.06% respectively, it was a decent showing compared to Friday's late-day selloff. The Nasdaq did much better, climbing 0.71% as investors regain some confidence ahead of a key week for earnings. Earnings on the MoveMicrosoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) put up good numbers last week, but a whole slew of mega-cap tech will report this week.That includes Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) on Wednesday. It also includes Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL, NASDAQ:GOOG), Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) and Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) on Thursday.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsTwitter (NYSE:TWTR), Snap (NYSE:SNAP) and other tech plays will also report this week as well. * 7 Defense Stocks to Buy to Fortify Your Portfolio As far as earnings go on Monday, shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) were surging, up almost 10% on the day. The company delivered a non-GAAP earnings beat, generating 35 cents per share vs. expectations of 30 cents per share. However, revenue of $5.93 billion declined 3.6% year-over-year and missed estimates by $40 million.Obviously investors are willing to overlook the sales miss, as shares of Halliburton threaten to breakout over $24. However, it may be due to management's commentary that the second half is looking better for its international unit, much like Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) said on Friday.At the end of the day, look for earnings to fuel the move this week. It's not just tech, but the sector plays a huge role over the next few sessions. Positive reactions very well could drive stocks to new highs. A negative reaction could further the current pullback. Major Moves on the Stock Market TodayShares of memory and memory equipment makers got a huge shot in the arm on Monday. Last week, we pointed out that Micron (NASDAQ:MU) was breaking out and on Monday the stock erased any doubt about its intentions to race higher.The stock climbed 3.67%, while Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) and Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) jumped 4.4% and 6.1%, respectively. Goldman Sachs analysts were the catalyst, as the firm upgraded all three of the stocks to a "buy" rating from "neutral." For AMAT, they added it to their conviction buy list.The move came with a $56 price target for Micron (from $40) and a $231 target for LRCX (from $197). For the conviction buy, the analysts assigned a $56 price target for AMAT (up from $48).Boeing (NYSE:BA) continues to hold above the key $360 to $362 area, but shares slipped 1% on Monday. The decline comes as credit rating agency Fitch cut its outlook on Boeing to "negative." That's down from a "stable" rating as Fitch worries about regulatory issues and when the 737 MAX will come into service. It could remain an issue into 2020 and hurt operating margins for several years, the firm argued. Poking Around Wall StreetBlackstone (NYSE:BX) pulled back nicely ahead of earnings last week. However, despite a solid report, the stock was relatively muted. On Monday though, BX stock jumped 4.85% on news that it may sell its stake in Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSE:CQP).In 2012, Blackstone invested $1.5 billion in the asset and is now looking to get a premium for the 203.4 million shares it owns. That stake is currently valued at $8.8 billion as of Monday's trading price. The report sent shares of Blackstone to new 52-week highs.Both Sprint (NYSE:S) and T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) finished higher on the day, but fell considerably based on where they traded throughout the morning. Investors were optimistic on the merger between the two, after a weekend report said it's all but squared away with the Department of Justice. AT&T (NYSE:T) and Verizon (NYSE:VZ) both took it on the chin Monday, down about 2%, on the news. * 5 Top Stock Trades for Tuesday: ACB, BYND, MU While the deal still seems imminent, S and TMUS stocks tumbled from their highs on a report that they may be renegotiating the merger price. The hope is that it won't drag out too much longer, with Dish Networks (NASDAQ:DISH) there to buy the divested assets.Bret Kenwell is the manager and author of Future Blue Chips and is on Twitter @BretKenwell. As of this writing, Bret Kenwell is long AMZN, GOOGL and T. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Defense Stocks to Buy to Fortify Your Portfolio * 10 High-Flying, Overvalued Stocks in Danger of Crashing * 8 Stocks to Buy That Are Growing Faster Than Amazon The post Stock Market Today: A Trio of Buys; Tech Ramps Ahead of Earnings appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Zacks•11 hours ago
Buying Our First Stock
Eric and Danny Buy Disney and Square Inc. For Their First Stock Holdings.
- Zacks•11 hours ago
Should You Invest In PayPal (PYPL) Stock Before Q2 Earnings?
PayPal (PYPL) is up an impressive 42.5% YTD, continuing a very strong growth trend since the company's spin-off from eBay (EBAY). Here's what investors should expect from PYPL's Q2 earnings report.
- Investor's Business Daily•11 hours ago
These Are The 5 Best Stocks To Buy Now
Superior fundamentals and technical action and buying at the right time are all part of a shrewd investing formula.
- Zacks•12 hours ago
Facebook Libra Update: Regulation Takes Center Stage
Facebook appears to have bitten off more than it can chew.
- Reuters•13 hours ago
UPDATE 1-FTC to announce $5 bln settlement with Facebook as early as this week -sources
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is expected to announce a roughly $5 billion settlement with Facebook Inc as early as this week of its investigation into the social media company’s handling of user data, two sources briefed on the matter said on Monday. The FTC, Justice Department and Facebook declined to comment. The FTC has been investigating allegations Facebook inappropriately shared information belonging to 87 million users with the now-defunct British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.
- Reuters•13 hours ago
Facebook, Amazon and Alphabet take centre stage on Wall Street
The so-called FANG stocks take centre stage on Wall Street this week, with Amazon , Alphabet and Facebook set to report as the S&P 500 approaches a record high. The group of high-growth stocks that supercharged the S&P 500's decade-long rally in recent years has had mixed results in 2019, with Facebook and Amazon dramatically outperforming the broader market, while Netflix and Google-owner Alphabet have lagged.
- Reuters•13 hours ago
FTC to announce $5 billion settlement with Facebook as early as this week - sources
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is expected to announce a roughly $5 billion settlement with Facebook Inc as early as this week of its investigation into the social media company’s handling of user data, two sources briefed on the matter said on Monday. The FTC, Justice Department and Facebook declined to comment. The FTC has been investigating allegations Facebook inappropriately shared information belonging to 87 million users with the now-defunct British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.
- Reuters•13 hours ago
Facebook, Amazon and Alphabet take center stage on Wall Street
The so-called FANG stocks take center stage on Wall Street this week, with Amazon, Alphabet and Facebook set to report as the S&P 500 approaches a record high. The group of high-growth stocks that supercharged the S&P 500's decade-long rally in recent years has had mixed results in 2019, with Facebook and Amazon dramatically outperforming the broader market, while Netflix and Google-owner Alphabet have lagged.
- Bloomberg•14 hours ago
Move Over Elon Musk. Microsoft to Invest $1 Billion in Partnership With OpenAI
(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. agreed to invest $1 billion in a partnership with research group OpenAI, gaining a prominent cloud-computing customer from the artificial intelligence field.OpenAI, co-founded by Elon Musk and other wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, will use Microsoft’s Azure cloud services to train and run the group’s AI software. The two will also jointly develop supercomputing technology, and Microsoft will be OpenAI’s preferred partner to commercialize its creations, the companies said in a statement on Monday. OpenAI started in 2015 with much fanfare. Industry luminaries including Musk and Peter Thiel committed at least $1 billion to the nonprofit to build AI that could match or improve on the technology being developed by tech giants such as Google, Facebook Inc. and Microsoft. However, Musk said he left OpenAI’s board last year over disagreements about some of the group’s plans. More recently, OpenAI started a for-profit arm to help it raise more money. The $1 billion investment goes to the for-profit arm, OpenAI LP, but the partnership is between Microsoft and the whole entity, OpenAI said. A partnership with Microsoft, which has more than $100 billion in cash, is a quick solution to OpenAI’s funding needs. But it’s an about-face of sorts. The group was seen by some in the AI community as an important counterbalance to large technology corporations that have snapped up talent and used their computing power and huge data hoards to leap ahead in the field. Advocacy groups and policy makers have raised concerns about some types of AI and called for regulation to increase transparency, guard against bias and ensure the technology isn’t used for military purposes and other dangerous applications. Those issues are likely to become more pressing as researchers try to develop AI that has more human-like capabilities.In February, OpenAI unveiled an algorithm that can write coherent sentences, including fake news articles, after being given just a small sample. The implications were so worrying that the group opted not to release the most powerful version of the software.The partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI will focus on Artificial General Intelligence, which aims to get computers to learn new skills and complete varied tasks like humans can. That’s a contrast to existing AI, which can learn specific jobs, such as understanding images, but can’t tackle different problems on its own. AGI, and the ability for computers to potentially teach themselves so much they eclipse humans, was what disturbed Musk so much that he helped found OpenAI. On Monday, Microsoft and OpenAI addressed such concerns. “The creation of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will be the most important technological development in human history, with the potential to shape the trajectory of humanity,” said Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI. “It's crucial that AGI is deployed safely and securely and that its economic benefits are widely distributed. We are excited about how deeply Microsoft shares this vision.”Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the goal is to “democratize AI – while always keeping AI safety front and center – so everyone can benefit.” Microsoft and OpenAI said the work will be governed by both companies’ AI ethics policies.Microsoft is also looking for more Azure cloud customers and for ways to promote Azure’s AI capabilities, so a tie-up with a leading research arm in the field is lucrative. The two organizations will use Microsoft’s work on supercomputers to build technology in Azure that has the scale to train and run more sophisticated AI models.“We chose Microsoft as our cloud partner because we're excited about Azure's supercomputing roadmap,” said Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s co-founder and chairman, in an emailed statement. “We believe we can work with Microsoft to develop hardware and software platform within Microsoft Azure which will scale to AGI.”Other OpenAI investors include the charitable foundation of LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and venture capital firm Khosla Ventures. Founders include Musk, Altman, co-founder and former president of startup incubator Y Combinator, as well as Brockman and AI researcher Ilya Sutskever, who serves as OpenAI's chief scientist. (Updates with details on founders in 14th paragraph.)To contact the author of this story: Dina Bass in Seattle at dbass2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Alistair Barr at abarr18@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Motley Fool•14 hours ago
The 10 Biggest Blue Chip Stocks
These top-quality stocks lead their industries, and they've been good to investors over the long run.
- Zacks•15 hours ago
Amazon, Facebook, Boeing, Caterpillar and 3M are part of Zacks Earnings Preview
Amazon, Facebook, Boeing, Caterpillar and 3M are part of Zacks Earnings Preview
- InvestorPlace•15 hours ago
7 Stocks to Buy This Summer Earnings Season
Second-quarter earnings season is upon us. The broad outlook from Wall Street is not a rosy one. For the second quarter in a row, analysts are expecting the S&P 500 to report a year-over-year earnings decline. For comparison purposes, in the year ago quarter, S&P 500 earnings rose 25% year-over-year.Although Q2 earnings are expected to be bad, it is important to note that Wall Street analysts have a history of underestimating EPS. For example, last quarter, analysts thought the S&P 500 EPS was going to drop 4% year-over-year. But Q1 earnings only dropped 0.3% year-over-year. This is nothing new. Over the past five years, reported S&P 500 earnings have exceed estimated S&P 500 earnings by 4.8%, on average, while the projected EPS growth rate heading into a quarter has historically been 3.7 percentage points below the actual EPS growth rate in that quarter.If we extrapolate that trend out, then Q2 earnings will actually rise by about a percent. Importantly, that represents sequential acceleration form last quarter's down 0.3% growth rate. Such sequential acceleration implies that corporate earnings may have bottomed, and that going forward, earnings will start growing at a healthy pace again.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsFrom this perspective, Q2 earnings could provide a big catalyst for the market. If earnings do come in ahead of expectations and actually grow year-over-year, then the stock market will rally as investors take that as evidence that the mini-earnings draw-down of early 2019 is over. * 7 Defense Stocks to Buy to Fortify Your Portfolio With this in mind, let's take a look at seven stocks to buy with the potential to lead an earnings rally this summer. Facebook (FB)Source: Shutterstock Reporting Date: July 24The Thesis: One stock that looks due for a blockbuster summer earnings report and big subsequent rally is digital ad giant Facebook (NASDAQ:FB). Facebook has spent most of 2019 putting its 2018 user privacy headaches behind it. The Q2 earnings report should cement that those headwinds are in the rear-view mirror.Global online ad spend trends in 2019 have been favorable. Facebook Stories usage has been on the up and up, while Instagram has seen an influx of new advertising opportunities, as has Messenger. Thus, Facebook's user and revenue numbers should be good this quarter. The margin numbers should be good, too, as the lap gets easier. Further, Facebook management will be able to update investors on its new commerce initiatives, and bullish sentiment there could spark a rally.All in all, it increasingly looks like the big 2019 rally in FB stock is set to take another leg higher this summer, making the social media giant a stock to buy. Crocs (CROX)Source: Shutterstock Reporting Date: August 6 (estimate)The Thesis: Ugly is the new cool, and because of that, "ugly" footwear brand Crocs (NASDAQ:CROX) has staged a huge operational turnaround over the past several years. But that turnaround hit a snag in the first quarter of 2019 as Crox ran into some demand and margin headwinds. Investors implied from this that the best of the CROX turnaround story had already materialized, and CROX stock subsequently dropped off a cliff.But the best of this rebound narrative hasn't materialized. Instead, most data points suggest that the Crocs brand is only gaining momentum. Piper Jaffray's survey of young consumers found that Crocs has one of the fastest growing mind-shares in the entire footwear category, while both domestic and global search interest trends indicate that consumer interest surrounding Crocs is surging higher. Further, the company's recent collaboration with Vera Bradley was a huge hit. * 10 High-Flying, Overvalued Stocks in Danger of Crashing Overall, then, it looks likely that Crocs will report very strong second quarter numbers this summer. Those strong numbers will affirm that the best of this rebound narrative isn't over just yet, and will consequently spark a nice recovery rally in CROX stock. JD.Com (JD)Source: Shutterstock Reporting Date: August 15 (estimate)The Thesis: Calendar 2018 was a really bad year for Chinese e-commerce juggernaut JD.Com (NASDAQ:JD). China's consumer economy cooled off, JD's revenue growth rates dropped, and the company's margins were slashed in half. In response to those adverse trends, JD stock lost more than half of its value in 2018.But all three of those trends have reversed course in 2019. China's consumer economy has picked up steam recently, especially over the past two months, during which retail sales growth has accelerated meaningfully and notched a 12-month-high in June. At the same time, JD's revenue growth rates have stabilized in the ~20% range, while operating margins have expanded by 70 basis points or more in each of the past two quarters.Because all three of these trends have reversed course, it is likely that JD puts up impressive summer 2019 numbers. Those impressive numbers should sustain the big 45% year-to-date rally in JD stock. Foot Locker (FL)Source: Shutterstock Reporting Date: August 24 (estimate)The Thesis: Owing largely to fears regarding trade war escalation and its impact on the company's demand and margins, footwear retailer Foot Locker (NYSE:FL) has dropped over 20% in 2019. But the U.S. and China have declared a trade war truce, meaning conditions on the trade front won't get worse anytime soon.At the same time, Foot Locker reported strong numbers last quarter that comprised positive comparable sales growth and gross margin expansion. Nike (NYSE:NKE), who is Foot Locker's largest brand partner, just reported very strong 10% constant-currency revenue growth in its most recent quarter. Lululemon (NASDAQ:LULU), who doesn't sell through Foot Locker but nonetheless is an important player in the athletic apparel market, also reported strong revenue growth last quarter. * 8 Stocks to Buy That Are Growing Faster Than Amazon Broadly, then, athletic apparel adoption tailwinds remain alive and well, while trade war headwinds have been put on pause for the foreseeable future. That combination means that Foot Locker likely had good a Q2, and that management will issue a favorable guide. In response, beaten up FL stock should rally. Tesla (TSLA)Source: Shutterstock Reporting Date: July 24The Thesis: Shares of electric vehicle maker Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) were hammered in early 2019 amid a global auto and EV demand slowdown which negatively impacted Tesla's first quarter delivery numbers. The consensus thesis became that the best of the Tesla growth narrative was over. In response, TSLA stock crashed.But that consensus thesis was disproved by a strong Q2 delivery report, in which Tesla delivered a record number of vehicles. TSLA stock rallied after the Q2 delivery report. But it's still well below where it was following the bad Q1 delivery report, and that's mostly because investors want to see how margins played out in Q2. Given the rampant increase in scale, it's likely that margins similarly moved higher in Q2. Thus, the Q2 earnings report should also reaffirm that Tesla's bad Q1 was an anomaly that won't repeat.If so, TSLA stock has runway to retake the $300 level this summer. It also helps that 30% of the float is short -- a historically large number, even for Tesla -- so in the event that second quarter numbers are good, TSLA stock is positioned for a huge short squeeze rally. AMC Entertainment (AMC)Reporting Date: August 7 (estimate)The Thesis: Following a record year in 2018, box office results have been sluggish through the first half of 2019. Year-to-date through June, box office sales were down over 9% relative to 2018. As the box office has been sluggish, so have shares of America's largest movie theater operator, AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC). Year-to-date, AMC stock is down 20%.But not all hope is lost for AMC stock. Thanks to the huge success of the most recent Spider-Man movie, July box office revenues are up slightly year-over-year. This renewed box office growth will likely persist into the end of the year, given the upcoming releases of Lion King, Frozen 2, and a new Star Wars movie. At the same time, AMC's subscription movie-going program, Stubs A-List, is gaining tremendous traction. * 5 Reasons to Buy the Dip In Netflix Stock All in all, I think AMC's next earnings report will be quite good. The trailing three month numbers might not be the best. Bu, the guide will likely be good, and management will likely talk up the success of Stubs A-List on the call. That will be enough good news to get shorts - who represent a whopping 30% of the float - to cover, and spark a big rally in AMC stock. Alibaba (BABA)Source: Shutterstock Reporting Date: August 22 (estimate)The Thesis: The story at Chinese e-commerce juggernaut Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) is similar to the story at peer JD.Com. Calendar 2018 was a rough year, defined by slowing consumer strength, falling revenue growth rates, and compressing margins. But calendar 2019 has been very different. The Chinese consumer is starting to bounce back. Revenue growth rates at Alibaba are stabilizing. Margin expansion is coming back into the picture.As these new and favorable trends persist throughout 2019, Alibaba should report solid numbers. Those solid numbers will converge on a relatively cheap (only 26-times forward earnings, versus a five year average forward multiple of 29) and beaten-up (11% off 2019 highs) BABA stock. This convergence should result a healthy rally in Alibaba stock.As of this writing, Luke Lango was long FB, CROX, JD, FL, NKE, LULU, TSLA, AMC, and BABA. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Defense Stocks to Buy to Fortify Your Portfolio * 10 High-Flying, Overvalued Stocks in Danger of Crashing * 8 Stocks to Buy That Are Growing Faster Than Amazon The post 7 Stocks to Buy This Summer Earnings Season appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Bloomberg•16 hours ago
As Libra Fallout Continues, Bitcoin Finds Support in Technicals
(Bloomberg) -- While the fallout over Facebook Inc.’s controversial cryptocurrency project drags on, technical signals are painting a brighter picture ahead for Bitcoin.The world’s largest cryptocurrency by market value appears to have solid support around its 50-day moving average -- it bounced off that level twice last week, during which the coin lost close to 12%.In addition, the GTI Vera Band Indicator, which tracks upward and downward trends, is showing Bitcoin’s in a selling pattern. It regained its lower band limit late last week, but breaking above its upper band limit could signal another potential run-up. If the current downtrend reverses, it could prove to be a temporary dip, as happened in early June right before Bitcoin rallied to its yearly high of close to $14,000.Cryptocurrencies have been under pressure recently after Facebook said it plans to launch a so-called stablecoin dubbed Libra. Industry analysts said the social media giant could leverage its 2 billion users to create a de facto global currency, prompting push-back from central bankers, U.S. lawmakers and even President Donald Trump. The project’s also drawn the ire of policy makers who have expressed concerns over privacy and regulatory issues.“When you have Facebook, one of the largest holders of data, creating a currency, I question whether or not regulators will let it happen,” said Chris Gaffney, president of world markets at TIAA Bank. “But I think the bigger question for Facebook is: are they going to be able to sell it? Who’s going to buy it, who’s going to use it?”Questions over Libra’s adoption and efficacy have pushed Bitcoin down about 17% so far this month. It fell as much as 3.6% to trade as low as $10,147 in New York. Peer coins, including Litecoin, Monero and Zcash also retreated.\--With assistance from Kenneth Sexton (Global Data).To contact the reporter on this story: Vildana Hajric in New York at vhajric1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeremy Herron at jherron8@bloomberg.net, Dave Liedtka, Rita NazarethFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- InvestorPlace•16 hours ago
Will Facebook Earnings Be Enough to Impress FB Stock Investors This Time?
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), the social media and digital advertising titan, is scheduled to report Q2 earnings on July 24 after market close. Despite the volatility in broader markets, FB stock has released relatively strong earnings in recent quarters.Source: Shutterstock As a result, year-to-date, the FB share price is up about 50%. Meanwhile, over the past year, there has been a shift in the global political environment, whereby more countries are calling for tougher regulation of the technology giants, including Facebook. Therefore, long-term investors are wondering as to what they should expect from FB stock's fundamental metrics. Now that the earnings season is upon us, let us look at what may be ahead for the stock. What to Look for in FB Stock's Q2 Earnings?As the owner of the largest social network in the world, Facebook's current ecosystem, includes Facebook mobile and desktop, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsWhen Facebook stock releases earnings on Wednesday, Wall Street will pay attention to several metrics and issues.Revenue: Facebook stock's digital advertising business is the main revenue generator and the social network has a lucrative business model. In 2018, Facebook reported $22.112 billion in net income on $55.838 billion in revenue.In Q1, revenue came in slightly better than expected and increased 26% year-over-year (YoY). Investors will want to see positive evidence on how 2019 is likely to shape up for the social media giant. * 10 High-Flying, Overvalued Stocks in Danger of Crashing Facebook and Google's parent company Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) have a combined share of the U.S. digital ad market duopoly that stands well over 50%.Daily active users (DAUs): FB stock's most recent DAU number is approximately 20% of the global population. In Q1, DAU rose 8% YoY and 3% sequentially. In other words, Facebook is a clear winner in the social media space.Facebook users are not only individuals, but also institutions, businesses of all sizes and organizations, including workplaces, community centers, schools and even places of worship. If the company reports any significant slowing of user growth or platform engagement, then Wall Street may raise its eyebrows.Ad impression growth: In Q1, the number came in strong showing 32% YoY growth. Ads on Instagram stories and feed as well as Facebook newsfeed were the main drivers.In other words, through the data collected on its platforms, Facebook can allow for a specific target to be reached via focused demographics, interest and a number of other criteria. Rich and reliable data, which FB has plenty, is at the center of digital advertising.Price per ad: Last quarter, despite the impressive growth in ad impression, Wall Street was rather concerned that the average price per ad declined 4% YoY. Ideally, the company should not monetize stories or feeds at lower rates.Profit margins: If investors see any sign of weakening profit margins, then they are likely to become concerned. Analysts have been noting that FB's rising costs have been pressuring margins lower over time. If the quarterly results show that FB's costs have unexpectedly risen, then, the stock price may take a hit.In short, on Wednesday afternoon, Wall Street is set to find out whether Facebook can continue its positive fundamental and price momentum in the second half of the year. Where Is Facebook Stock Price Now?In April, following Q1 results, Facebook stock initially gapped up about 6% the next day to reach an intraday high of $198.48. However, that price became the immediate high for the next several weeks and the stock price declined to see an intraday low of $160.84 on June 4.Then came the broader market rally in which Facebook also participated. On July 14, FB shares hit $205.47, an intraday high for 2019.As we start the new week, FB stock is hovering around $199. If you are an investor who follows technical charts, you will note that the $200-level has become a resistance area.Our readers may also be interested to know that on July 25, 2018, FB shares saw an all-time high at $218.62. Then, after market close the same day, FB released Q2 2018 earnings, which Wall Street was not happy with, and the next morning Facebook stock gapped down to open at $174.89.It is not quite possible to know which way the stock will move on Thursday morning following the earnings report on Wednesday. Yet long-term investors would like to see FB stock close the gap from a year ago by moving to and staying over $218.62.Riding on the momentum from an exceptionally strong earnings report, FB stock could easily reach a new all-time high price. However, considering how much the stock is up so far in 2019, investors would probably not hesitate to penalize the company if the quarterly report does not meet the rather high expectations. The Bottom Line on FBFacebook stock has a strong story and the company has a clean balance sheet with no debt; thus, it remains a long-term growth play on a fundamental basis. Going forward, Facebook is likely to successfully leverage its network for further sales and earnings growth. I also expect the group to make concentrated investments in privacy and security measures to alleviate regulatory and investor concerns.Management has a good history of delivering better than expected quarterly results. And I am inclined to think the results will once again come in strong. However, there will likely be increased stock price volatility in the near-term, especially after the earnings report, that current and potential FB stock investors should anticipate.If you aren't already long Facebook stock, you may want to remain on the sidelines until the earnings report as near-term trading is likely to be choppy. * 7 Cloud Computing Stocks to Buy for 2019 If you already own Facebook shares, then you may want to stay the course and ride out any short-term volatility.Alternatively, those investors who have benefited from Facebook stock's 2019 gains may want to take some of the paper profits as we look ahead to the next earnings report.Or they may consider hedging their positions. As for hedging strategies, covered calls or put spreads with Aug. 16 expiry could be appropriate as straight put purchases are likely to be expensive due to heightened volatility.The options for expiration on Aug. 16 are implying that the stock is likely to move by about 8-10% in either direction from the $200 strike price in the short-term following its results. In other words, a covered call hedge would enable investors to both profit from any potential up move and give some protection in case the stock falls following the earnings result.The two important points to remember are that the trend is an investor's friend and that FB is a volatile stock.As of this writing, Tezcan Gecgil did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Defense Stocks to Buy to Fortify Your Portfolio * 10 High-Flying, Overvalued Stocks in Danger of Crashing * 8 Stocks to Buy That Are Growing Faster Than Amazon The post Will Facebook Earnings Be Enough to Impress FB Stock Investors This Time? appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Investor's Business Daily•16 hours ago
Is Shopify Stock A Buy Right Now? Here's What Earnings, SHOP Charts Show
Shopify stock has been a huge winner in 2019. Shopify earnings are booming and the company plans to compete more with Amazon. But is SHOP stock a buy now?
- Zacks•16 hours ago
VeriSign (VRSN) to Report Q2 Earnings: What's in Store?
VeriSign's (VRSN) second-quarter 2019 results are expected to benefit from consistent increase in the number of .com and .net domain name registrations.
