Facebook Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Results

News provided by

Facebook

Jan 30, 2019, 16:05 ET

MENLO PARK, Calif., Jan. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Facebook, Inc. (Nasdaq: FB) today reported financial results for the quarter and full year ended December 31, 2018.

"Our community and business continue to grow," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO. "We've fundamentally changed how we run our company to focus on the biggest social issues, and we're investing more to build new and inspiring ways for people to connect."

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Financial Highlights

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Year-over-Year %
Change

Year Ended
December 31,

Year-over-Year %
Change

In millions, except percentages and per share amounts

2018

2017

2018

2017

Revenue:










   Advertising

$

16,640

$

12,779

30

%

$

55,013

$

39,942

38

%

   Payments and other fees

274

193

42

%

825

711

16

%

Total revenue

16,914

12,972

30

%

55,838

40,653

37

%

Total costs and expenses

9,094

5,620

62

%

30,925

20,450

51

%

Income from operations

$

7,820

$

7,352

6

%

$

24,913

$

20,203

23

%

Operating margin

46

%

57

%


45

%

50

%

Provision for income taxes(1)

$

1,089

$

3,194

(66)

%

$

3,249

$

4,660

(30)

%

Effective tax rate(1)

14

%

43

%



13

%

23

%

Net income(1)

$

6,882

$

4,268

61

%

$

22,112

$

15,934

39

%

Diluted Earnings per Share (EPS)(1)

$

2.38

$

1.44

65

%

$

7.57

$

5.39

40

%


(1)

In December 2017, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted and significantly impacted U.S. tax law. As a result of this legislation, our fourth quarter and full year 2017 provision for income taxes increased by $2.27 billion, which impacted our effective tax rate, net income and diluted EPS for such periods. Our diluted EPS decreased by $0.77 for both the fourth quarter and full year 2017.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Operational and Other Financial Highlights

  • Daily active users (DAUs) – DAUs were 1.52 billion on average for December 2018, an increase of 9% year-over-year.
  • Monthly active users (MAUs) – MAUs were 2.32 billion as of December 31, 2018, an increase of 9% year-over-year.
  • Mobile advertising revenue – Mobile advertising revenue represented approximately 93% of advertising revenue for the fourth quarter of 2018, up from approximately 89% of advertising revenue in the fourth quarter of 2017.
  • Capital expenditures – Capital expenditures were $4.37 billion and $13.92 billion for the fourth quarter and full year 2018, respectively.
  • Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities – Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities were $41.11 billion at the end of the fourth quarter of 2018.
  • Headcount – Headcount was 35,587 as of December 31, 2018, an increase of 42% year-over-year.

In addition, we estimate that around 2.7 billion people now use Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Messenger (our "Family" of services) each month, and more than 2 billion people use at least one of our Family of services every day on average.

Webcast and Conference Call Information

Facebook will host a conference call to discuss the results at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET today. The live webcast of Facebook's earnings conference call can be accessed at investor.fb.com, along with the earnings press release, financial tables, and slide presentation. Facebook uses the investor.fb.com and newsroom.fb.com websites as well as Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/zuck) as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

Following the call, a replay will be available at the same website. A telephonic replay will be available for one week following the conference call at +1 (404) 537-3406 or +1 (855) 859-2056, conference ID 6461349.

Transcripts of conference calls with publishing equity research analysts held today will also be posted to the investor.fb.com website.

About Facebook

Founded in 2004, Facebook's mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what's going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.

Contacts

Investors:
Deborah Crawford
[email protected] / investor.fb.com

Press:
Vanessa Chan
[email protected] / newsroom.fb.com

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors including: our ability to retain or increase users and engagement levels; our reliance on advertising revenue; our dependency on mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that we do not control; risks associated with new products and changes to existing products as well as other new business initiatives; our emphasis on user growth and engagement and the user experience over short-term financial results; maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation; our ongoing safety, security, and content review efforts; competition; risks associated with government actions that could restrict access to our products or impair our ability to sell advertising in certain countries; litigation and government inquiries; privacy and regulatory concerns; risks associated with acquisitions; security breaches; and our ability to manage growth and geographically-dispersed operations. These and other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on October 31, 2018, which is available on our Investor Relations website at investor.fb.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. In addition, please note that the date of this press release is January 30, 2019, and any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. We undertake no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our condensed consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP), we use the following non-GAAP financial measures: revenue excluding foreign exchange effect, advertising revenue excluding foreign exchange effect and free cash flow. The presentation of these financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Investors are cautioned that there are material limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures as an analytical tool. In addition, these measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, limiting their usefulness for comparison purposes. We compensate for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures.

We believe these non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with useful supplemental information about the financial performance of our business, enable comparison of financial results between periods where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in operating our business.

We exclude the following items from our non-GAAP financial measures:

Foreign exchange effect on revenue. We translated revenue for the three months and year ended December 31, 2018 using the prior year's monthly exchange rates for our settlement currencies other than the U.S. dollar, which we believe is a useful metric that facilitates comparison to our historical performance.

Purchases of property and equipment, net. We subtract net purchases of property and equipment in our calculation of free cash flow because we believe that this methodology can provide useful supplemental information to help investors better understand underlying trends in our business. Free cash flow is not intended to represent our residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures.

For more information on our non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures, please see the "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results" table in this press release.

FACEBOOK, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(In millions, except for per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Year Ended
December 31,

2018

2017

2018

2017

Revenue

$

16,914

$

12,972

$

55,838

$

40,653

Costs and expenses:







Cost of revenue

2,796

1,611

9,355

5,454

Research and development

2,855

1,949

10,273

7,754

Marketing and sales

2,467

1,374

7,846

4,725

General and administrative

976

686

3,451

2,517

Total costs and expenses

9,094

5,620

30,925

20,450

Income from operations

7,820

7,352

24,913

20,203

Interest and other income (expense), net

151

110

448

391

Income before provision for income taxes

7,971

7,462

25,361

20,594

Provision for income taxes

1,089

3,194

3,249

4,660

Net income

$

6,882

$

4,268

$

22,112

$

15,934

Less: Net income attributable to participating securities

—

2

1

14

Net income attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders

$

6,882

$

4,266

$

22,111

$

15,920

Earnings per share attributable to Class A and Class B common







stockholders:







Basic

$

2.40

$

1.47

$

7.65

$

5.49

Diluted

$

2.38

$

1.44

$

7.57

$

5.39

Weighted average shares used to compute earnings per share







attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders:







Basic

2,872

2,907

2,890

2,901

Diluted

2,886

2,954

2,921

2,956

Share-based compensation expense included in costs and expenses:







Cost of revenue

$

82

$

50

$

284

$

178

Research and development

675

587

3,022

2,820

Marketing and sales

130

106

511

436

General and administrative

84

71

335

289

Total share-based compensation expense

$

971

$

814

$

4,152

$

3,723

FACEBOOK, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In millions)

(Unaudited)



December 31, 2018

December 31, 2017

Assets



Current assets:




Cash and cash equivalents

$

10,019

$

8,079


Marketable securities

31,095

33,632


Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $229 and $189 as of December 31,






2018 and 2017, respectively

7,587

5,832


Prepaid expenses and other current assets

1,779

1,020



Total current assets

50,480

48,563

Property and equipment, net

24,683

13,721

Intangible assets, net

1,294

1,884

Goodwill

18,301

18,221

Other assets

2,576

2,135

Total assets

$

97,334

$

84,524








Liabilities and stockholders' equity



Current liabilities:




Accounts payable

$

820

$

380


Partners payable

541

390


Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

5,509

2,892


Deferred revenue and deposits

147

98



Total current liabilities

7,017

3,760

Other liabilities

6,190

6,417



Total liabilities

13,207

10,177

Commitments and contingencies



Stockholders' equity:




Common stock and additional paid-in capital

42,906

40,584


Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(760)

(227)


Retained earnings

41,981

33,990



Total stockholders' equity

84,127

74,347

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$

97,334

$

84,524

FACEBOOK, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In millions)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Year Ended
December 31,

2018

2017*

2018

2017*

Cash flows from operating activities






Net income

$

6,882

$

4,268

$

22,112

$

15,934

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating






activities:






    Depreciation and amortization

1,225

853

4,315

3,025

    Share-based compensation

971

814

4,152

3,723

    Deferred income taxes

201

(225)

286

(377)

    Other

(19)

5

(64)

24

Changes in assets and liabilities:






   Accounts receivable

(1,564)

(1,374)

(1,892)

(1,609)

   Prepaid expenses and other current assets

198

441

(690)

(192)

   Other assets

(60)

26

(159)

154

   Accounts payable

133

50

221

43

   Partners payable

41

73

157

95

   Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

378

215

1,417

309

   Deferred revenue and deposits

33

(7)

53

4

   Other liabilities

(735)

2,531

(634)

3,083

Net cash provided by operating activities

7,684

7,670

29,274

24,216

Cash flows from investing activities






Purchases of property and equipment, net

(4,366)

(2,262)

(13,915)

(6,733)

Purchases of marketable securities

(1,997)

(5,272)

(14,656)

(25,682)

Sales of marketable securities

1,254

1,795

12,358

9,444

Maturities of marketable securities

1,381

760

4,772

2,988

Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired, and purchases of intangible assets

—

(17)

(137)

(122)

Other investing activities, net

(21)

(7)

(25)

(13)

Net cash used in investing activities

(3,749)

(5,003)

(11,603)

(20,118)

Cash flows from financing activities






Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards

(545)

(885)

(3,208)

(3,246)

Repurchases of Class A common stock

(3,500)

(958)

(12,879)

(1,976)

Net change in overdraft in cash pooling entities

500

—

500

—

Other financing activities, net

4

1

15

(13)

Net cash used in financing activities

(3,541)

(1,842)

(15,572)

(5,235)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

(14)

40

(179)

232

Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

380

865

1,920

(905)

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of the period

9,744

7,339

8,204

9,109

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period

$

10,124

$

8,204

$

10,124

$

8,204








Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash to the






condensed consolidated balance sheets






Cash and cash equivalents

$

10,019

$

8,079

$

10,019

$

8,079

Restricted cash, included in prepaid expenses and other current assets

10

18

10

18

Restricted cash, included in other assets

95

107

95

107

Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

$

10,124

$

8,204

$

10,124

$

8,204

*Prior-period information has been retrospectively adjusted due to our adoption of ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows, Restricted Cash (Topic 230) on January 1, 2018.

FACEBOOK, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In millions)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Year Ended
December 31,

2018

2017*

2018

2017*

Supplemental cash flow data






Cash paid during the period for:






Interest

$

1

$

—

$

1

$

—

Income taxes, net

$

1,034

$

324

$

3,762

$

2,117

Non-cash investing and financing activities:






Net change in prepaids and liabilities related to property and equipment additions

$

306

$

(44)

$

918

$

495

Settlement of acquisition-related contingent consideration liability

$

—

$

—

$

—

$

102

Change in unsettled repurchases of Class A common stock

$

44

$

74

$

51

$

94

*Prior-period information has been retrospectively adjusted due to our adoption of ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows, Restricted Cash (Topic 230) on January 1, 2018.

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results

(In millions, except percentages)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Year Ended
December 31,

2018

2017

2018

2017

GAAP revenue

$

16,914

$

12,972

$

55,838

$

40,653

Foreign exchange effect on 2018 revenue using 2017 rates

348



(401)


Revenue excluding foreign exchange effect

$

17,262



$

55,437


GAAP revenue year-over-year change %

30

%


37

%

Revenue excluding foreign exchange effect year-over-year change %

33

%


36

%

GAAP advertising revenue

$

16,640

$

12,779

$

55,013

$

39,942

Foreign exchange effect on 2018 advertising revenue using 2017 rates

347



(401)


Advertising revenue excluding foreign exchange effect

$

16,987



$

54,612


GAAP advertising revenue year-over-year change %

30

%


38

%

Advertising revenue excluding foreign exchange effect year-over-year change %

33

%


37

%









Net cash provided by operating activities

$

7,684

$

7,670

$

29,274

$

24,216

Purchases of property and equipment, net

(4,366)

(2,262)

(13,915)

(6,733)

Free cash flow

$

3,318

$

5,408

$

15,359

$

17,483

SOURCE Facebook

Related Links

https://www.facebook.com

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