Facebook | Meta |Fundamental Analysis | MUST READ ! ! ! 🔔Social media titan Facebook, now Meta Platforms, has recently been in the midst of a whistleblower scandal. A former employee made allegations against the company. This drama is just the latest development for Meta, which has become a lightning rod for debate.
Investors may be seeking to figure out if the company's best days are over, particularly as Facebook's platform becomes less and less popular with younger users. Let's try to look away from the noise to see if Meta is a smart investment today.
The company is under pressure after Frances Haugen made allegations about the way the company does business. According to the whistleblower, the company's algorithms encourage the distribution of sensational, misleading, and controversial content that is useful for engagement but likely harmful to users.
Haugen also cited leaked research showing that Instagram, one of Meta's platforms, harms the mental health of young users. One study found that suicidal thoughts increased among teenage girls in the U.K. after using Instagram, and another study found that it contributes to eating disorders. These findings have prompted intense examination from politicians, who are asking for regulation of how Meta does business. Regulators have a lot of power and can do all sorts of things to the company, up to and including its complete collapse.
Meta is also a pioneer in the social media industry; its FB app is one of the oldest platforms in use today. Over time, Facebook's popularity among younger users has declined, ceding the lead to apps like Snap and TikTok. While Meta's Instagram platform is still popular, it's fair to question whether Meta is on the decline.
If we pay attention to the company's results, Meta proves that it is one of the most successful business models in the world. The company recently reported third-quarter 2021 results, its first full quarter after Apple implemented iOS privacy policies, making it harder for ad businesses like Meta to track its users.
The company continues to do well despite all the drama, political threats, and pressure from Apple. In the third quarter, the company increased the number of daily active users by 6% year over year to 1.9 billion, and the average revenue per user rose 27% to $10.00.
The increased number of users and higher revenue per user drove Meta's third-quarter revenue growth by 35% year-over-year to $29 billion. The company is also extremely profitable, converting nearly 33% of that, or $9.5 billion, into free cash flow. With $58 billion in assets on its balance sheet, Meta has a lot of cash on hand and has announced a massive $50 billion stock buyback program.
The company recently announced a rebranding to the name "Meta" to focus its energies on developing the Metaverse. This is a space where the physical and digital worlds can interact in the future.
The company is splitting into two main segments, one of which will be Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and the rest of Meta's apps. The other is Reality Labs, dedicated to Metaverse, Oculus, and other virtual reality projects. Metaverse could one day become a whole new digital economy, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg talked about a digital world where non-gaming tokens, virtual goods, and advertising could be new possibilities.
Explaining the company's rebranding, Zuckerberg specified that it would take years to implement. Meta could spend at least $10 billion on its Metaverse business this year and is likely to spend tens of billions of dollars in the subsequent years.
The company's stock has fallen over the past five weeks amid the whistleblower story. Analysts estimate that Meta's earnings per share (EPS) could be $14 for all of 2021, which values the stock at a projected price to earnings (P/E) of 23.1.
It is a small premium compared to the P/E ratio for the S&P 500, which is 21.3. Nevertheless, Meta's predicted 2021 earnings are up 37% from last year; projected earnings per share of $14 are up 39% from 2020. One could argue that this growth rate should provide a premium over the broader market, making Meta stock engaging at these levels.
Patient investors can continue to benefit from the profitability of Meta's existing business, while Metaverse may one day take the company to new heights. Regulation remains a likely menace, but Meta's growth potential is hard to ignore.
