Here's What Key Metrics Tell Us About Meta Platforms (META) Q3 Earnings

Meta Platforms (META) reported $51.24 billion in revenue for the quarter ended September 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 26.3%. EPS of $7.25 for the same period compares to $6.03 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +3.63% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $49.45 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $6.61, the EPS surprise was +9.68%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Meta Platforms performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

Family daily active people (DAP): $3.54 billion versus the six-analyst average estimate of $3.49 billion. Headcount: 78,450 versus the four-analyst average estimate of 76,888. Average Revenue Per Person (ARPP): $14.46 versus $14.08 estimated by three analysts on average. Advertising Revenue- US & Canada: $21.33 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $21.7 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +22.7%. Advertising Revenue- Europe: $12.07 billion versus the four-analyst average estimate of $11.65 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +29%. Geographical Revenue by User- Asia-Pacific: $10.27 billion compared to the $9.87 billion average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +25% year over year. Advertising Revenue- Rest of the World: $6.66 billion versus $6.37 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +30.9% change. Geographical Revenue by User- US & Canada: $21.75 billion versus $21.53 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +23.5% change. Revenue- Family of Apps (FoA): $50.77 billion versus the 11-analyst average estimate of $49.07 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +25.9%. Revenue- Reality Labs: $470 million versus the 11-analyst average estimate of $339.85 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +74.1%. Revenue- Advertising: $50.08 billion compared to the $48.51 billion average estimate based on 10 analysts. The reported number represents a change of +25.6% year over year. Revenue- Other: $690 million versus $588.26 million estimated by 10 analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +59% change.

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View all Key Company Metrics for Meta Platforms here>>>

Shares of Meta Platforms have returned +2.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.

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