Meta outperformed expectations in its latest quarter and doubled down on an AI-first future — a message that resonated across markets even as tech stocks remained volatile. The company posted Q4 results of $8.88 in earnings per share on $59.9 billion in revenue, beating Bloomberg consensus estimates of $8.16 EPS and $58.4 billion in revenue. Management signaled it will increase AI spending in 2026, building on a year in which revenue has climbed in most quarters since January 2025. Meta’s stock, however, hasn’t marched in a straight line; shares have fluctuated amid a choppy tech backdrop. Broader market weakness was stoked recently by disappointing Microsoft results, which pulled down fellow tech giants. Some investors remain wary of Meta’s aggressive AI bet, worried the company is putting too many eggs in one basket. Meta’s leadership, though, is unabashedly committed: CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company plans to “front-load” spending on computing capacity, infrastructure and talent to accelerate development of advanced AI capabilities. That emphasis showed up in Meta’s capital expenditure guidance. For the full year management outlined a capex range of $115 billion to $135 billion — above the $110.6 billion analyst average reported by Bloomberg — underscoring a big ramp in investment to support AI ambitions. Wall Street remains broadly bullish. Top analysts maintain Buy or Outperform ratings, and price targets sit well above the current market price, ranging roughly from $800 to $935. Guggenheim and TD Cowen are noted for price-target accuracy, while Tigress Financial is the most bullish with a Strong Buy and a $935 target. Why crypto traders should care - Increased demand for AI compute could drive more competition for GPUs and data-center resources, a factor that may indirectly affect markets for hardware and energy. - Growth in centralized AI infrastructure could spur interest in decentralized compute and tokenized infrastructure projects as alternatives — a potential long-term tailwind for certain crypto protocols. - Large-cap tech spending cycles can move broader risk sentiment, which often spills into crypto markets during periods of tech-led volatility. Bottom line: Meta’s beat-and-build quarter reinforces its pivot to AI as the company spends heavily to secure computing and talent for a long-term push into advanced models. Investors who worry about concentration risk should weigh the aggressive capex plan against the bullish analyst outlook and the broader market’s appetite for tech and growth exposure. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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