Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg shed
$3.7 billion from his net worth in the two hours after the market closed on
Wednesday, as the company’s stock price sank despite strong third-quarter
results.
Zuckerberg’s fortune fell to $50.6
billion as of 6 p.m. Eastern time, according to FORBES estimates. He’s
still the fifth-richest person in the world, according to FORBES, right behind
Warren Buffett at number 4 and ahead of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu at
number 6. When markets closed on Wednesday, Zuckerberg’s net worth was $54.4
billion.
This year’s previous two earnings
reports were a boon for Zuckerberg’s pocketbook. After the company
announced second-quarter results in July, a stock surge added $3.4 billion to
his net worth in the hour after markets closed. In April, when first-quarter
results were announced, he gained $4.2 billion within two-and-a-half hours
after markets closed.
But investors were nonetheless disappointed. Facebook has beat revenue and earnings expectations for six quarters straight. But during the earnings call the company said its expenses will increase in 2017, in part because users are sharing more videos, driving up network costs. Investors may also be concerned about the company’s suggestions this quarter that revenue growth may slow next year.
As in previous quarters, mobile advertising sales fueled the company’s strong performance. About 84% of the company’s advertising revenues came from mobile, up from 78% during the same period last year. Facebook has also continued to attract new users, despite competition from rivals like Snapchat. Facebook reached 1.79 billion monthly users this quarter, up 16% from a year ago, with the vast majority logging on through mobile devices.
Facebook shares closed at $127.26 on Wednesday, up about 22% since the beginning of the year, but down 1.7% since Tuesday’s closing price.
Source:MSN
Tags
Business