Yahoo Finance Here is How Instagram Can Aid Facebook's (FB) Q3 Earnings
Facebook’s FB Instagram is expected to hog the limelight as the company reports third-quarter 2018 results on Oct 30.
Instagram is Facebook’s fastest growing division as it has more than 1 billion monthly users and 500 million daily users. Further, 400 million people use Instagram stories on a daily basis.
Instagram’s rapidly expanding user base is attracting advertisers. Notably, the platform has more than 2 million active advertisers. The Instagram Stories platform, which was opened to global advertisers in March 2017, gained significant traction within a short span of time.
The continuing momentum is expected to boost Facebook’s top-line growth in the to-be-reported quarter. Click here to know how the company’s overall third-quarter performance is likely to be.
New Features to Drive Instagram’s User Base
Instagram has emerged as an important cash cow for Facebook. The company added a plethora of new features like GIF stickers, type mode, “Focus” camera format, emoji slider sticker, “Mute” in feed, IGTV, video chats, topic tab in Explore and soundtracks to Stories, making the platform exciting and engaging.
Instagram is now allowing users in 46 countries to shop directly from Stories posts, a feature that the social media giant has been testing since June.
Facebook, Inc. Revenue (TTM)
Facebook, Inc. Revenue (TTM) | Facebook, Inc. Quote
The launch of IGTV, a longer form of video hub, is expected to help Instagram compete better with YouTube and Twitter TWTR.
These features improved Instagram’s competitive position against Snap’s SNAP ephemeral messaging service Snapchat, which has just 186 million users.
Further, the launch of Instagram Lite for Android users is a prudent move to tap growth in emerging nations. The Instagram Lite app requires significantly less data but operates faster.
Facebook is also looking for ways to monetize Instagram Stories, and adding e-commerce features to the platform is a step toward that direction.
Additionally, Instagram is set to rollout a shopping app separately. Facebook’s endeavor to incorporate augmented reality (AR) technology in the shopping app can act as a differentiator in terms of providing better customer experience.
Zacks Rank and a Key Pick
Facebook carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
ANGI Homeservices ANGI is a better-ranked stock in the same industry. The company has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here.
ANGI Homeservices is set to report third-quarter 2018 results on Nov 7.
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