Meta's Stock Down Despite User Growth

Published by The Daily Scout

What happened

Meta's stock is down 17% in six months despite revenue growth and user engagement reported. Investors are skeptical of increased capital expenditure for AI infrastructure.

Why it matters

Meta's planned capital expenditure for 2026 is projected to be $35-40 billion, which is up from $30-35 billion in 2025. This increase is primarily to support AI infrastructure, including compute power, AI research and product development. Some analysts are concerned that Meta's heavy investments in the metaverse are distracting from its core business and AI development. The Reality Labs division, responsible for metaverse initiatives, lost $13.7 billion in 2023. Despite the stock downturn, Meta's family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) saw daily active people (DAP) average 3.19 billion for December 2023, an increase of 8% year-over-year. Monthly active people (MAP) averaged 3.98 billion for December 2023, up 6% year-over-year.

Key numbers

  • Meta's stock is down 17% in six months despite revenue growth and user engagement reported.
  • Meta's planned capital expenditure for 2026 is projected to be $35-40 billion, which is up from $30-35 billion in 2025.
  • The Reality Labs division, responsible for metaverse initiatives, lost $13.7 billion in 2023.
  • Despite the stock downturn, Meta's family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) saw daily active people (DAP) average 3.19 billion for December 2023, an increase of 8% year-over-year.

Quick answers

What happened in Meta's Stock Down Despite User Growth?

Meta's stock is down 17% in six months despite revenue growth and user engagement reported. Investors are skeptical of increased capital expenditure for AI infrastructure.

Why does Meta's Stock Down Despite User Growth matter?

Meta's planned capital expenditure for 2026 is projected to be $35-40 billion, which is up from $30-35 billion in 2025. This increase is primarily to support AI infrastructure, including compute power, AI research and product development. Some analysts are concerned that Meta's heavy investments in the metaverse are distracting from its core business and AI development. The Reality Labs division, responsible for metaverse initiatives, lost $13.7 billion in 2023. Despite the stock downturn, Meta's family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) saw daily active people (DAP) average 3.19 billion for December 2023, an increase of 8% year-over-year. Monthly active people (MAP) averaged 3.98 billion for December 2023, up 6% year-over-year.

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