Tech

Meta's soaring profits just paid for its first-ever dividend

Mark Zuckerberg pointing.
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta announced its first-ever dividend in its earnings release Thursday. Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
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With profits soaring and its shares hitting record highs, Meta has announced its first-ever dividend.

The company declared a dividend of $0.50 per share in its earnings report Thursday for the fourth quarter and fiscal year of 2023.

The cash dividend will be paid quarterly "subject to market conditions and approval by our board of directors," the earnings release said.

Meta CFO Susan Li said in an earnings call Thursday that the payouts would be regular dividends, pending board approval.

It'll be paid on March 26 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 22.

Meta joins other tech firms like Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle in paying a dividend. The company also announced it has authorized a $50 billion buyback boost.

Last February, Meta said it would buy back another $40 billion worth of shares from investors.

Meta's stock was up nearly 14% after-hours Thursday, cruising to a new all-time high.

The company reported $134.9 billion in revenue for the year, up 16% from 2022, and $39.1 billion in net income, up 69% year-over-year.

"We had a good quarter as our community and business continue to grow," CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in the earnings release.

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Sarah Jackson
Sarah Jackson was a senior reporter at Business Insider who covers tech and trending business news, with a focus on the workplace. She has covered The Great Resignation, workplace trends, remote work and RTO, tech layoffs, the job search, and more. Before joining Business Insider in 2021, Sarah also wrote for places like Inc., NBC News, and The Today Show. She received her B.A. in journalism from NYU.Some of Sarah's top stories include:Workers are 'epiphany-quitting' their jobs after the pandemic forced them to rethink everything about their livesJob postings can reveal signs of trouble ahead with a potential employer or role. Here are the red flags that candidates should look for.The 'hushed hybrid' work schedule is the latest way employees are getting around a return to the officeNew York City employers are now required to list salary ranges in their job posts. Here's how that will affect candidates and companies.as-told-to: I do 'Bare Minimum Mondays' at work to help beat the 'Sunday scaries' and avoid burnout. It's completely changed my life and how I approach my job.