# Meta’s Almost $10 Billion Legal Costs Take Huge Toll on Q3 Earnings, Wall Street Shrugs

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/metas-almost-10-billion-legal-costs-take-huge-toll-on-q3-earnings-wall-street-shrugs/
- Published: 2026-10-21T20:13:30+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T03:53:23+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/biz/news/meta-q3-earnings-2026-1236918874/
- Topics: Art, Business, Companies, Culture

## Key points

- Legal costs pushed Meta’s earnings per share below forecasts.
- Revenue reached $64.6 billion, up 26%.
- Shares rose 5% after hours as investors weighed the results.

## Summary

Meta’s third-quarter earnings were weighed down by nearly $10 billion in legal costs tied to an $18 billion settlement with state attorneys general, leaving earnings per share below analysts’ expectations. Revenue grew strongly, however, and Meta’s share price rose 5% after the results, suggesting investors focused on the strength of its underlying business.

Revenue reached $64.6 billion, while net income was $9.86 billion and earnings per share were $3.83, compared with analysts’ forecast of $5.46 per share. Meta said operating income would have been $22.88 billion without the $9.89 billion settlement charge. The results came hours after a New Mexico judge ordered the company to pay $25 billion in a separate case; Meta also reported that more than 10 million people in the US and Canada had set up its Muse AI agents.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.