Facebook Inc. on Wednesday reported third-quarter net income of $6.09 billion US.
On a per-share basis, the Menlo Park, California-based company said it had profit of $2.12.
The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.91 per share.
The social media company posted revenue of $17.65 billion in the period, which also topped Street forecasts. Twelve analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $17.32 billion.
Facebook shares have climbed 44 per cent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has risen 22 per cent. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $188.91, an increase of 29 per cent in the last 12 months.