Facebook beats expectations with $8.81bn in revenue in Q4, user-base reaches 1.86bn

Facebook witnessed another strong quarter posting $8.81 billion in revenue for Q4, 2016. In terms of a number of users the social network now has 1.86 billion monthly users, adding 70 million users this quarter. However, the 3.91 percent growth is slower than 4.67 percent growth last quarter.

The figures posted by the company were once again more than what analysts had expected which stood at $8.51 billion. Profit reached $3.568 billion with growth of 177 percent YoY, compared to $2.379 billion last quarter. Revenue was up 51 percent YoY compared to 56 percent growth last quarter and 59 percent in Q2.

Mobile now makes up 84 percent of its ad revenue, up from approximately 80 percent last quarter, that accounts for $7.248 billion, signalling that Facebook has successfully completed its shift to mobile. While the company’s capital expenditures for the full year 2016 were $4.49 billion, its cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities stood at $29.45 billion at the end of the fourth quarter of 2016.

Facebook’s daily active users now stand at 1.23 billion, up from 1.18 billion last quarter which is up 18 percent YoY. Also, the network now has 1.74 billion mobile monthly users, up from 1.66 billion last quarter.

Though Facebook’s user growth in the US and Canada has begun to slow down but the thirteen-year-old Facebook has proved its mettle time and again. Despite the advent of hundreds of new social media platforms, Zuckerberg’s company has not only stood its ground firmly but has also grown tremendously.