Facebook Ad Revenues Jump, Microsoft Growth Accelerates on Cloud Business

Mukesh Buch
01 Feb, 2018
New York City

AT&T profit surged. Facebook offered upbeat forecast despite the usage decline in the U.S. Microsoft cloud business accelerates. MasterCard net tumbled 76% on new tax law but revenues surged. Time Warner reported strong quarterly growth.

[R]12:05 PM New York City, New York – AT&T profit surged. Facebook offered upbeat forecast despite the usage decline in the U.S. Microsoft cloud business accelerates. MasterCard net tumbled 76% on new tax law but revenues surged. Time Warner reported strong quarterly growth.[/R]

Tollbooth Index increased 32.30 or 0.2% to 14,646.79.

Earnings Review

AT&T Inc ((T)) jumped 4.2% or $1.60 to $39.14 after the communication services provider reported total revenues in the fourth-quarter ending in December fell 0.4% from a year ago to $41.7 billion.

Net income in the quarter surged to $19 billion or $3.08 per diluted share from $2.4 billion or 39 cents in the same quarter last year.

Facebook Inc ((FB)) advanced 3.9% or $7.18 to $194.09 after the social network services provider said revenues in the fourth-quarter ending in December soared 47.2% from a year ago to $12.9 billion.

Net income in the quarter jumped 19.9% to $4.3 billion or $1.44 per diluted share from $3.6 billion or $1.21 in the same quarter last year.

Facebook said daily active users jumped 14% to 1.40 billion but number of daily users in the United States and Canada fell from a year earlier

“Average price per ad in the quarter surged 43%” said chief financial officer David Wehner.

“We made changes that reduced time spent on Facebook by roughly 50 million hours every day,” said chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg.

Microsoft Corporation ((MSFT)) gained 75 cents to $95.79 after the software services provider reported revenues in the second-quarter ending in December jumped 12% from a year ago to $28.9 billion.

Net in the quarter swung to a loss of $6.3 billion or 82 cents per diluted share from profit of $6.3 billion or 80 cents in the same quarter last year.

“We delivered another strong quarter with commercial cloud revenue surged 56% to $5.3 billion from a year ago period,” said executive vice president and chief financial officer Amy Hood.

Microsoft said revenue growth in cloud-based versions of Office 365, soared 41%, and Dynamics 365, management tool revenues jumped 67%.

MasterCard Inc ((MA)) increased 3.1% or $5.24 to $174.31 after the credit and debit card services provider stated net revenues in the fourth-quarter ending in December surged 20% from a year ago to $3.3 billion.

Net income in the quarter tumbled 76% to $0.2 billion or 21 cents per diluted share from $0.9 billion or 86 cents in the same quarter last year.

Time Warner Inc ((TWX)) gained 1.8% or $1.71 or $97.06 after the media and entertainment services provider reported revenues in the fourth-quarter ending in December advanced 9% from a year ago to $8.6 billion.

Net income in the quarter jumped to $1.4 billion or $1.75 per diluted share from $293 million or 37 cents in the same quarter last year.

The media and entertainment services provider said subscription revenues in the Turner and Home Box Office increased 13% and 11% respectively.