06:34 AM EDT, 05/01/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Meta Platforms ( META ) shares climbed early Thursday as the Facebook parent reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter results and projected revenue growth for the ongoing three-month period on a sequential basis.

The technology giant posted net income of $6.43 a share for the March quarter, up from $4.71 the year before, it said late Wednesday. The consensus on FactSet was for GAAP EPS of $5.23. Revenue advanced 16% year over year to $42.31 billion, ahead of the Street's view for $41.35 billion.

"We've had a strong start to the year," Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said during an earnings call, according to a FactSet transcript. "Our business is also performing very well, and I think we're well positioned to navigate the macroeconomic uncertainty."

The company, which also owns WhatsApp and Instagram, projects revenue to be in a range of $42.5 billion to $45.5 billion for the current quarter, with foreign exchange expected to be a tailwind of 1% based on current rates, Chief Financial Officer Susan Li said in the earnings release. The Street is looking for $44.21 billion. The stock gained 6.6% in the most recent premarket activity.

The outlook reflects the "potential for a wider set of outcomes," Li said on the call. "We continue to feel good about the fundamental drivers of revenue growth and believe the past work we've done to streamline our operations and cost profile puts us in a strong position to navigate a variety of outcomes," the CFO told analysts.

Advertising revenue grew to $41.39 billion in the first quarter from $35.64 billion in the prior-year period. "Within ad revenue, the online commerce vertical was the largest contributor to year-over-year growth," Li said on the call. Average price per ad and aggregate ad impressions inclined 10% and 5%, respectively.

Daily active users for the company's family of apps, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, increased 6% to 3.43 billion on average for March. Revenue for Reality Labs declined to $412 million from $440 million last year, while its operational loss rose to $4.21 billion from $3.85 billion.

For full-year 2025, Meta now forecasts total expenses to come in between $113 billion to $118 billion, down from its prior estimate of $114 billion to $119 billion. Capital expenditures are pegged at $64 billion to $72 billion, up from the previous guidance of $60 billion to $65 billion.

The increased capital expenditures outlook reflects the company's plan for additional data center investments to support its AI operations and an expected increase in infrastructure hardware costs, Li said. "The majority of our (capital expenditures) in 2025 will continue to be directed to our core business," Li added.

Last week, the European Commission fined Meta 200 million euros ($226.4 million) for allegedly breaching digital competition rules. Li acknowledged the tech giant will have to "make some modifications" to its model, potentially impacting its European business and revenue significantly as early as the third quarter.