Meta Needs To Slash Another 7.5K Jobs To Accommodate Metaverse Ambitions, Analyst Says

Benchmark analyst Mark Zgutowicz remained Hold-rated on Meta Platforms Inc META before Meta's 4Q report.
The analyst did not see enough '23 opex leverage to spark the stock price in a weak ad spend environment and lingering ROAS impact from Apple Inc AAPL ATT.
With management determined to expand Reality Labs' operating losses "significantly" in '23, core ad-related (net) headcount cuts must continue to mount, adding long-tail pressure to ad revenue.
The analyst assumed '22E ending headcount of ~76.6k (down from ~84.6k estimated to peak in early November '22).
The analyst believed the company needs to cut at least another ~7500 heads in '23E to accommodate a no-growth revenue environment.
The analyst estimated flat '23 revenue Y/Y vs. consensus' +5% and '22E -2% Y/Y.
Under these and his -350 bps Y/Y total expense margin assumptions, the analyst projected '23E revenue per average employee growth of +6% Y/Y, tracking below +11% opex per average employee Y/Y.
The assumptions paralleled the analyst's '23E total revenue/GAAP expense growth Y/Y of flat/+5% vs. consensus +5%/+10% Y/Y and '22E +22%/-2% Y/Y, respectively.
Price Action: META shares traded lower by 2.10% at $148.55 on the last check Monday.