TLDR
- Meta reports Q1 2026 earnings on Wednesday, April 29, after market close.
- Analysts expect EPS of $6.67 and revenue of $55.56 billion, up 31.3% year over year.
- META stock is up 26.5% over the past month heading into the report.
- Investors are focused on AI spending guidance, with Meta targeting $60–65 billion in infrastructure for 2026.
- 45 Wall Street analysts rate META a Strong Buy, with an average price target of $854.46.
Meta Platforms reports Q1 2026 earnings on Wednesday, April 29, after the bell. The stock has already climbed 26.5% over the past month, so the bar is set fairly high.
Wall Street analysts expect earnings per share of $6.67, up from $6.43 in the same quarter last year. Revenue is forecast to hit $55.56 billion, a 31.3% jump year over year. That’s a meaningful step up from the 16.1% growth Meta posted in Q1 2025.
Last quarter, Meta beat revenue expectations with $59.89 billion, up 23.8% year on year. It also reported 3.58 billion daily active users, a 6.9% increase. The company guided revenue for the current quarter above analyst expectations, which helped fuel the recent rally.
The majority of analysts covering Meta have held their estimates steady over the past 30 days. Meta has a track record of beating Wall Street’s numbers, which adds some confidence heading in.
AI Spending in Focus
The biggest question going into Wednesday is not whether Meta will beat — it’s what the company says about spending.
Meta has signaled $60 billion to $65 billion in AI infrastructure investment for 2026. Any upward revision to that figure, without a matching lift in revenue guidance, could rattle investors.
AI is already delivering results on the ad side. Improved targeting and AI-recommended content have boosted engagement on Facebook and Instagram. Those are measurable gains that help explain the stock’s recent move.
But the market wants to see more. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pushed hard into AI agents and business messaging tools. Q1 results will give the first real look at whether those bets are generating revenue yet or are still in the build phase.
Capital expenditure guidance will be closely watched. Margins are the other key number — investors want to see that heavy spending is not eating into profitability.
What Peers Have Done
Looking at other consumer internet names that have already reported, the picture is mixed. Netflix posted 16.2% revenue growth and beat estimates by 0.5%, yet the stock dropped 9.7% after results. Coursera grew 9.1% and met expectations, but fell 11.6%.
Even solid results have been punished in this earnings cycle. That context matters for Meta, given how much the stock has already gained leading into the report.
Analyst View
On TipRanks, META holds a consensus Strong Buy rating from 45 analysts — 39 Buys and 6 Holds over the last three months. The average price target is $854.46, implying around 26% upside from current levels. The average target across analyst sources sits near $855.
Meta reports Wednesday, April 29, after market close.
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