FB - Facebook, Inc.
186.50 +0.33 (0.18%)
Pre-Market: 8:31AM EDT
| Previous Close | 183.70 |
| Open | 186.01 |
| Bid | 186.50 x 800 |
| Ask | 186.30 x 900 |
| Day's Range | 184.85 - 187.50 |
| 52 Week Range | 123.02 - 208.66 |
| Volume | 9,699,661 |
| Avg. Volume | 16,752,987 |
| Market Cap | 531.134B |
| Beta (3Y Monthly) | 1.25 |
| PE Ratio (TTM) | 31.48 |
| EPS (TTM) | 5.91 |
| Earnings Date | Oct 28, 2019 - Nov 1, 2019 |
| Forward Dividend & Yield | N/A (N/A) |
| Ex-Dividend Date | N/A |
| 1y Target Est | 232.33 |
- Yahoo Finance Video
Facebook and Twitter accuse China of disinformation campaign
Twitter and Facebook have taken steps to block a state-backed Chinese misinformation campaign aimed at sowing "political discord in Hong Kong”. Yahoo Finance’s Myles Udland, Jen Rogers, Andy Serwer and Dan Howley discuss
- Yahoo Finance Video
Google, Facebook, Amazon testify against French digital tax
Big tech companies are in the spotlight today as companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook testify in a U.S. government hearing against the French digital tax. Yahoo Finance's Zack Guzman, and Jessica Smith discuss.
- ABC News Videos
Across the Pond: Twitter and Facebook fight anti-Hong Kong protest propaganda
Plus: British consulate worker feared detained by China, and Elton John slams media coverage of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan.
- Bloomberg
China's Fake Social Media Accounts Could Be Devastating for U.S., Brett Bruen Says
Aug.19 -- Brett Bruen, Global Situation Room Inc. president, and Samm Sacks, New America China Digital Economy fellow, discuss Twitter Inc. disclosing that it found and deleted hundreds of accounts it said China used to undermine the Hong Kong protest movement. They speak with Bloomberg's Emily Chang on "Bloomberg Technology."
- Yahoo Finance
China could unload US Treasuries — but here's why they (probably) won't
Historic lows in long-term rates, and the inverted yield curve, suggests that China would be fighting what’s currently the market’s most powerful trend.
- Investor's Business Daily
Dow Jones Futures: Stock Market Rally Nears Key Level
Stock futures: About a dozen states reportedly plan a Big Tech antitrust probe, likely ensnaring Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Google. Baidu, spinoff iQiyi and Fabrinet moved on earnings.
- South China Morning Post
Twitter and Facebook suspend accounts for being part of China-backed campaign to disrupt Hong Kong protests
The social-media platform Twitter has suspended hundreds of accounts alleged to be part of a Chinese government-backed campaign to sow political discord in Hong Kong, the company announced on Monday.The action came as Facebook took similar action, removing seven pages, three groups and five accounts involved in what Facebook called "coordinated inauthentic behaviour as part of a small network that originated in China and focused on Hong Kong".In all, Twitter said that 936 accounts originating from within China have been suspended for a number of violations of the company's "platform manipulation policies," including spam, coordinated activity, fake accounts and ban evasion."Covert, manipulative behaviours have no place on our service," Twitter said. "They violate the fundamental principles on which our company is built."The social media activity of the suspended accounts, which shared both English- and Chinese-language material, were part of efforts to undermine the "legitimacy and political positions of the protest movement on the ground", said Twitter."Based on our intensive investigations, we have reliable evidence to support that this is a coordinated state-backed operation," said Monday's announcement.Facebook's investigation was prompted by a "tip" from Twitter, Facebook head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher said in a statement on Monday."We will continue monitoring and will take action if we find additional violations," said Gleicher, adding that Facebook had shared the findings with other industry partners and law enforcement agencies.Examples of the "coordinated inauthentic behaviour" identified by Facebook included posts that compared protesters to cockroaches, accused journalists of corruption and of colluding with "rioters", and claimed that protesters, not police, had been responsible for the widely reported injury of a medic who may lose the use of one eye.The young woman was injured when she was struck by a pellet fired by police during demonstrations in Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood earlier this month.Also on Monday, Twitter announced that it would no longer accept advertising from state-controlled news media entities.Though its statement did not single out Chinese state media, government-backed news agency Xinhua has recently utilised Twitter's "promoted tweet" service to expand the reach of posts related to the ongoing unrest in Hong Kong.In one such promoted tweet published over the weekend, Xinhua tweeted that "[people from] all walks of life in Hong Kong called for a brake to be put on the blatant violence and for order to be restored."Twitter said on Monday that affected accounts would be given a 30-day grace period to withdraw from the platform's advertising products, after which the company would "stringently enforce these policies."A determination of what accounts would be affected by the ban would be made based on factors including financial ownership, control of editorial content and direct or indirect exertion of political pressure, Twitter said.This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2019 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Reuters
China cries foul over Facebook, Twitter block of fake accounts
China said on Tuesday it had a right to put out its own views after Twitter and Facebook said they had dismantled a state-backed social media campaign originating in mainland China that sought to undermine protests in Hong Kong. Twitter Inc said on Monday it suspended 936 accounts and the operations appeared to be a coordinated state-backed effort originating in China. Facebook Inc said it had removed accounts and pages from a small network after a tip from Twitter.
- GuruFocus.com
Facebook Inc (FB) COB and CEO Mark Zuckerberg Sold $43.5 million of Shares
COB and CEO of Facebook Inc (30-Year Financial, Insider Trades) Mark Zuckerberg (insider trades) sold 237,823 shares of FB on 08/16/2019 at an average price of $182.75 a share. Continue reading...
- Bloomberg
Twitter, Facebook Say China Used Fake Accounts to Target Hong Kong Protests
(Bloomberg) -- Twitter Inc. found and deleted hundreds of accounts it said China used to undermine the Hong Kong protest movement and calls for political change.The company said it took down 936 accounts that originated within China and attempted to manipulate perspectives on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Facebook Inc., acting on a tip from Twitter, said it also found a similar Chinese government-backed operation on its social network, with five fake accounts, seven pages and three groups.“Based on our intensive investigations, we have reliable evidence to support that this is a coordinated state-backed operation,” Twitter said Monday in a blog post. “Overall, these accounts were deliberately and specifically attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong, including undermining the legitimacy and political positions of the protest movement on the ground.”Facebook came to the same conclusion. “Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our investigation found links to individuals associated with the Chinese government,” the company said in a blog post.This is the first significant move against coordinated disinformation from China by Twitter and Facebook. The social networks are blocked in the mainland, but many people still access the sites via technical workarounds. In Hong Kong, where the sites aren’t blocked, protesters have roiled the financial hub for 11 weeks fighting to secure democratic freedoms. The alleged disinformation campaign is one of several ways China has sought to quell the largely leaderless protest.QuickTake: Facebook, Twitter and the Digital Disinformation MessThe social networks began to remove government propaganda campaigns after discovering Russia’s network of accounts, groups and ads attempting to sow discord around the 2016 U.S. presidential election. China’s impact could ultimately be greater than Russia’s, according to Brett Bruen, the president of Global Situation Room Inc., who worked in the Obama White House on tackling disinformation and other projects. The Chinese government has been building influence in outside territories, digitally and otherwise, for many years, though it has rarely used its power over other regions, he said.“It’s like the Death Star from Star Wars,” Bruen said. “The capability is there, but has never been fully deployed. If they choose to operationalize the capabilities they’ve been building in a more aggressive way, that could present a massive change to world politics.”Twitter said the accounts it suspended “represent the most active portions of this campaign; a larger, spammy network of approximately 200,000 accounts” were taken down before they were “substantially active.”In a related announcement, Twitter said it will stop accepting advertising from state-backed media worldwide, after finding propaganda messages that Chinese-run media paid to promote on its site. The ban doesn’t affect taxpayer-funded or independently operated media like the BBC.Facebook still accepts ads from state-run media, but is looking more closely at its policies. “We’re also taking a closer look at ads that have been raised to us to determine if they violate our policies,” the company said in a statement.(Updates with Facebook considering change in policy in final paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah Frier in San Francisco at sfrier1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Alistair BarrFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- GuruFocus.com
Greenlea Lane Capital Management, Llc Buys Facebook Inc, Sells Wayfair Inc, Shake Shack Inc, ...
Investment company Greenlea Lane Capital Management, Llc (Current Portfolio) buys Facebook Inc, sells Wayfair Inc, Shake Shack Inc, Spotify Technology SA during the 3-months ended 2019Q2, according to the most recent filings of the investment company, Greenlea Lane Capital Management, Llc. Continue reading...
- Reuters
FTC chairman says Facebook's plan to merge brands may make it harder to split: FT
Simons said all options were on the table as the FTC investigates Facebook for potential antitrust violations, but added that any attempt from Mark Zuckerberg to combine the social media company's three major brands could complicate any case, according to the FT report. "If they're maintaining separate business structures and infrastructure, it's much easier to have a divestiture in that circumstance than in where they're completely enmeshed and all the eggs are scrambled," Simons told the FT.
- MarketWatch
Twitter blocks 200,000 accounts allegedly used by China to spread disinformation in Hong Kong
The company also said it will ban ads from state-backed media companies, expanding a prohibition it first applied in 2017 to two Russian entities.
- Zacks
3 Tech Stocks for Growth Investors to Buy in August
It's time to check out 3 tech stocks that came through our screen today that growth investors might want to consider as we move beyond Q2 earnings season...
- Reuters
Factbox: Track Facebook's fight against disinformation campaigns in 2019
** Jan. 31 - 783 pages, groups and accounts engaged in "coordinated inauthentic behavior tied to Iran." 234 accounts, pages and groups on Facebook and Instagram operating as part of a domestic network in Indonesia. 31 Facebook pages, groups, and accounts which were part of a network that operated in Romania.
- Barrons.com
Facebook and Twitter Suspend Accounts After Alleging Deceptive Tactics Against Hong Kong Protestors
Facebook and Twitter said Monday they have shut down accounts originating from China that they believe are likely to be either state-sponsored or linked to people associated with the Chinese government.
- Investor's Business Daily
Facebook Libra Partner Mastercard Is Building Its Own Cryptocurrency Team
Mastercard is building its own cryptocurrency team. The payments giant is a partner in the Facebook Libra project. Meanwhile Bitcoin is attempting to rally.
- Reuters
UPDATE 3-Twitter, Facebook accuse China of using fake accounts to undermine Hong Kong protests
Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc said on Monday they had dismantled a state-backed social media campaign originating in mainland China that sought to undermine protests in Hong Kong. Twitter said it suspended 936 accounts and the operations appeared to be a coordinated state-backed effort originating in China. Facebook said it had removed accounts and pages from a small network after a tip from Twitter.
- InvestorPlace
Alphabet Stock Is Undervalued, But Upside Remains a Challenge for GOOGL
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) stock has traded in the $1140-$1265 per share range since announcing earnings July 25. The company saw sales grow 26% year-over-year. With shares trading at a reasonable valuation, is Alphabet stock a buy? A rebound in the company's flagship advertising business, along with growth in the cloud business, are strong catalysts going forward. But several risks remain on the horizon, which could mean downside to the GOOGL stock price.Source: Valeriya Zankovych / Shutterstock.com Let's take a closer look at GOOGL stock, and see what lies in store for the search giant's shares. A Closer Look at Alphabet StockAlphabet saw quarterly earnings in the second quarter of $14.21 per share. This beat expectations by $2.75 per share. As mentioned above, this was thanks to a rebound in the company's advertising business. Sales bounced from $28 billion in Q2 2018 to $32.6 billion in Q2 2019. Alphabet's non-advertising revenue saw even more impressive growth. Sales grew roughly 40% year-over-year, jumping from $4.4 billion to $6.2 billion.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * 7 Safe Dividend Stocks for Investors to Buy Right Now Operating income was $9.2 billion, up from an adjusted $8.1 billion in the prior year's quarter. With the market absorbing last month's earning report, what's the next move for Alphabet stock? Shares continue to be down from their 52-week high of $1296.98. Material upside could be a challenge. A myriad of risks could impact the GOOGL stock price. Regulation and Competition Are Risks to GOOGL Stock PriceWith about $50.8 billion in operating cash flow, the company has plenty of capital to boost shareholder value. While the company loses around $1 billion per quarter from their "Other Bets" growth initiatives, this is a mere drop in the bucket. With more cash than opportunities, the company announced a $25 billion stock buyback plan. This is modest compared to Alphabet's market cap ($831 billion). As InvestorPlace contributor Todd Shriber discussed Aug. 15, Alphabet could easily plow their $121 billion of cash on hand into a massive buyback. This would really move the needle for GOOGL stock.The GOOGL stock price faces downside risk from increased regulatory pressure. Last year's $5 billion European Commission fine is just the start. In the U.S., politicians on both sides of the aisle want to rein in Alphabet. Additional movement by U.S. regulators will cause additional downside in the stock.Beyond governmental regulation, Alphabet stock could face headwinds as the tech space evolves. While Google built a license to print money with search advertising, cloud computing is highly competitive. Rivals such as Amazon's (NASDAQ:AMZN) Amazon Web Server rule the market. In this and other growth areas, GOOGL will not have the 80% market share they have in online search. Future growth opportunities will not be cash cows like search advertising.With this in mind, is the current valuation of GOOGL stock justified? Compared to its "FAANG" peers -- Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon, Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) and Google -- Alphabet stock appears undervalued. But given the opportunities and risks, this valuation could be justified. Shares Remain Undervalued Relative to FAANG PeersGOOGL stock is a constituent of FAANG. Compared to this esteemed group of tech giants, GOOGL stocks trades at a discount. Alphabet stock currently has a forward price per earnings ratio of just under 22. The company's Enterprise Value/EBITDA ratio is 16.3.Here are the valuation ratios for the rest of the FAANG components:Facebook: Forward P/E of 19.6 and EV/EBITDA of 18.1Amazon: Forward P/E of 54.7 and EV/EBITDA of 27.7Apple: Forward P/E of 16.5 and EV/EBITDA of 12.4Netflix: Forward P/E of 54.9 and EV/EBITDA of 72.2You can make the argument that GOOGL has less runway than NFLX and AMZN. But both are reaching the limits of scale themselves. Alphabet has the capital to chase the opportunities the rest of FAANG are targeting. Each of them has the opportunity, but not the edge, in dominating these markets. With Alphabet stock offering earnings today and growth opportunities tomorrow, it may just be the best of the bunch to own. Bottom Line on GOOGL StockCompared to the other big tech high-flyers, GOOGL stock is a bargain. Shares trade at a slight discount to Facebook, and a substantial discount to Amazon and Netflix. But unlike the latter two, Google has matured to "cash cow" status. With more capital than they can put to work, Alphabet stock needs a big catalyst to move the needle.Meanwhile, regulation and competition remain big risks. With Washington putting Alphabet in its crosshairs, the company could face substantial headwinds. The new frontiers of tech (cloud computing, artificial intelligence) are highly competitive. Alphabet will likely not find another cash cow to compliment their search advertising business. Both of these threats could cause material downside in the GOOGL stock price.With these factors in mind, what's the call? If you are looking for a growth stock with a reasonable valuation, consider GOOGL. But with the specter of recession just around the corner, investors may soon have the opportunity to enter GOOGL stock at a lower entry point.As of this writing, Thomas Niel did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 10 Cheap Dividend Stocks to Load Up On * The 10 Biggest Losers from Q2 Earnings * 5 Dependable Dividend Stocks to Buy The post Alphabet Stock Is Undervalued, But Upside Remains a Challenge for GOOGL appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- SAY
Facebook Moderators Say Their Counsellors Were Pressured To Reveal Details Of Therapy Sessions
Counsellors who work with third-party Facebook moderators are alleging they are being pressured to reveal details of their sessions with workers. Face It Accenture is an Austin, Texas company that employs 1,500 Facebook moderators, whose job it is to scour the website and remove offensive content. Because these employees are often exposed to horrific posts, including hate speech and images of child abuse, they are offered mental health counselling. Or as Accenture refers to it, “wellness coaches.” But according to a report in The Intercept, those coaches are accusing Accenture managers of repeatedly pressuring them to reveal the details of those counselling sessions. One counsellor resigned rather than break this rule. No Confidence In a letter posted to Workspace that has been viewed thousands of times, an anonymous group of moderators allege that when a manager received pushback from a counsellor, citing confidentially concerns, they replied that “because this was not a clinical setting, confidentiality did not exist.” Facebook did not respond to specific questions about the violation, but released a statement affirming it’s dedication to “the needs of employees,” while Accenture denied the allegations. In Moderation A report earlier this year in The Verge detailed the difficulties of the moderators’ job, as the third-party contractors are exposed to horrific images, and are expected to view as many as 800 pieces of “disturbing content” per shift, with few breaks. Clean Up Crew Big tech companies like Facebook and YouTube are increasingly relying on so-called “digital janitors” to help clean up the internet and remove the posts no one needs to see. But while it is a growing sector, it’s not the best gig, as it is typically low wage, contract or part-time work without benefits, and the moderators are exposed to the bowels of the internet. How companies like Facebook and Google treats their contract workers is now being heavily scrutinized. As socially conscious ESG investing becomes more popular, the treatment of contract workers could very well become an issue, as the way a company treats its employees is a big part of achieving the S in the Environmental Social Corporate Governance rating. -Michael Tedder Photo by Adobe
