META
Meta Platforms, Inc.
META has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
QNST
QuinStreet, Inc.
QNST has the edge over META overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
META Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy |
META's revenue, profitability and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its cash flow is stable.
QNST Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
QNST's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
META PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 19x | $624 | — |
| Cheap | 21x | $613 | -1.7% |
| Current | 21x | $624 | — |
| Fair | 27x | $803 | +29% |
| Expensive | 32x | $934 | +50% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
META's PE is in its cheap range at 21x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 19x next year's earnings.
QNST PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 11x | $19.12 | — |
| Current | 12x | $19.12 | — |
| Cheap | 13x | $21.39 | +12% |
| Fair | 42x | $67.83 | +255% |
| Expensive | 103x | $165 | +765% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
QNST has the edge over META in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
META Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly weakening | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for META, but weaker profitability. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
QNST Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
QNST has the edge over META on the outlook, with more favorable profitability expectations.
META Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $32.16 | +9.7% |
| Q3 2026 | $29.32 | +30% |
| Q2 2026 | $26.54 | -3.7% |
| Q1 2026 | $27.50 | +7.5% |
| Q4 2025 | $23.49 | -1.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $22.58 | +6.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $27.56 | +41% |
| Q1 2025 | $25.58 | +47% |
| Q4 2024 | $23.86 | +60% |
META earned $29.32 per share over the past year, up 30% from the year before.
QNST Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $1.70 | +5.8% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.61 | +794% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.40 | +1650% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.13 | +$1.14 |
| Q4 2025 | $1.08 | +$1.30 |
| Q3 2025 | $0.18 | +$0.58 |
| Q2 2025 | $0.08 | +$0.65 |
| Q1 2025 | -$0.01 | +$1.56 |
| Q4 2024 | -$0.22 | +$1.23 |
QNST has the edge over META on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
META Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $64.6B | +26% |
| Q2 2026 | $60.8B | +28% |
| Q1 2026 | $56.3B | +33% |
| Q4 2025 | $59.9B | +24% |
| Q3 2025 | $51.2B | +26% |
| Q2 2025 | $47.5B | +22% |
| Q1 2025 | $42.3B | +16% |
| Q4 2024 | $48.4B | +21% |
META's revenue has grown year over year for 15 quarters in a row: $64.6B last quarter, up 26% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 20% | -20 points |
| Q2 2026 | 31% | -12 points |
| Q1 2026 | 41% | -0.9 points |
| Q4 2025 | 41% | -7 points |
| Q3 2025 | 40% | -2.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 43% | +5 points |
| Q1 2025 | 41% | +3.6 points |
| Q4 2024 | 48% | +7.4 points |
META has the edge over QNST on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
QNST Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $416.7M | +46% |
| Q2 2026 | $373.9M | +43% |
| Q1 2026 | $346.1M | +28% |
| Q4 2025 | $287.8M | +1.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $285.9M | +2.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $262.1M | +32% |
| Q1 2025 | $269.8M | +60% |
| Q4 2024 | $282.6M | +130% |
QNST has the edge over META on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 5.6% | +3.9 points |
| Q2 2026 | 5.1% | +3.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 3% | +1.2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 0.4% | +0.9 points |
| Q3 2025 | 1.7% | +2.1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 1.5% | +2.2 points |
| Q1 2025 | 1.8% | +5 points |
| Q4 2024 | -0.5% | +8.8 points |
QNST's operating margin was 5.6% last quarter, up 3.9 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2019.
META Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$1.2B | -110% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.7B | -81% |
| Q1 2026 | $13.2B | +19% |
| Q4 2025 | $14.8B | +9.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $11.2B | -32% |
| Q2 2025 | $9B | -19% |
| Q1 2025 | $11.1B | -14% |
| Q4 2024 | $13.6B | +16% |
META usually generates cash, though not every quarter: the latest was −$1.2B, but it generated $28.6B over the past year.
QNST Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $23.1M | +25% |
| Q2 2026 | $52.4M | +78% |
| Q1 2026 | $36.4M | +23% |
| Q4 2025 | $20.7M | -46% |
| Q3 2025 | $18.4M | +$32.6M |
| Q2 2025 | $29.3M | +91% |
| Q1 2025 | $29.5M | +917% |
| Q4 2024 | $38.2M | +$43.2M |
QNST has the edge over META on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
META Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.3% | +7M shares |
| 1 year | 0% | +1M shares |
| 3 years | -2.6% | -68M shares |
| 5 years | -10% | -286M shares |
| Available history | -11% | -303M shares |
META has the edge over QNST on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | $3.3B |
| Q2 2025 | $10.2B |
| Q1 2025 | $12.8B |
| Q4 2024 | — |
META hasn't bought back shares in the past year.
QNST Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +1.2% | +687K shares |
| 1 year | +0.1% | +81K shares |
| 3 years | +8% | +4.4M shares |
| 5 years | +5.5% | +3.1M shares |
| Available history | +10% | +5.4M shares |
QNST has 59M diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | $14.6M |
| Q1 2026 | $1,000 |
| Q4 2025 | $10.1M |
| Q3 2025 | $6.7M |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | — |
QNST spent $25M buying back its own shares over the past year, about four times what it spent the year before.
META Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.0x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
META's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA).
QNST Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.9x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -2.9x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -2.8x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -3.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -3.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -3.6x | Net Cash |
QNST has the edge over META on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
META Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 48.2 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 33.7 | Neutral |
META's weekly RSI is 48 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 34 (neutral).
QNST Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 58.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 61.2 | Neutral |
QNST's weekly RSI is 59 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 61 (neutral).
META PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | META | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 21x | 16x | 29% above |
| PE % | 18 | 26 | 8 pts below |
META is trading at 21x earnings, a 29% premium to the Communication Services sector's median of 16x.
QNST PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | QNST | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 12x | 16x | 28% below |
| PE % | 12 | 26 | 14 pts below |
QNST has the edge over META on valuation relative to its sector.
META Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $674.9 | 7.6% below |
| 20 week MA | $634.5 | 1.7% below |
| 50 week MA | $630.8 | 1.1% below |
| 100 week MA | $647.8 | 3.7% below |
| 200 week MA | $517.5 | 21% above |
META has fallen below most of its moving averages, though it's still 21% above its 200-week average.
QNST Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $16.9 | 13% above |
| 20 week MA | $17.6 | 8.9% above |
| 50 week MA | $14.8 | 29% above |
| 100 week MA | $16.0 | 20% above |
| 200 week MA | $15.3 | 25% above |
QNST has the edge over META on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
META Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $208.1 | $267.4 | +28% |
| 2021 | $267.4 | $335.2 | +25% |
| 2022 | $335.2 | $118.0 | -65% |
| 2023 | $118.0 | $354.0 | +200% |
| 2024 | $354.0 | $599.8 | +69% |
| 2025 | $599.8 | $663.3 | +11% |
| 2026 YTD | $663.3 | $623.6 | -6% |
META's yearly returns have swung widely, from +200% in 2023 to −65% in 2022. It's down 6% so far in 2026.
QNST Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $15.5 | $22.3 | +44% |
| 2021 | $22.3 | $18.3 | -18% |
| 2022 | $18.3 | $14.0 | -24% |
| 2023 | $14.0 | $12.8 | -8.4% |
| 2024 | $12.8 | $23.9 | +86% |
| 2025 | $23.9 | $14.4 | -39% |
| 2026 YTD | $14.4 | $19.1 | +33% |
QNST has the edge over META on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.