New York, Jan 17, 2026, 09:48 (EST) — Market closed
- Meta shares closed Friday at $620.25, holding steady ahead of the long weekend. (Yahoo Finance)
- A regulatory filing revealed incoming President Dina Powell McCormick’s compensation, featuring a $60 million equity grant. (Stock Titan)
- Meta is set to report its next quarterly earnings on Jan. 28. Note that U.S. markets will be shut Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Nasdaq)
Meta Platforms shares ended Friday at $620.25, slipping about 0.1% after the company filed an 8-K disclosing the compensation package for new President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick. The filing detailed a $1 million base salary, a $2 million sign-on bonus, and a $60 million grant of restricted stock units (RSUs) set to vest over time. (SEC)
Why it matters now: investors want clarity on how much Meta plans to invest in AI data centers and power infrastructure ahead of its earnings report later this month. Meta will announce fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results after the market closes on Jan. 28, followed by a conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET. (Meta Investor)
The U.S. stock market is closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, pushing the next trading session to Tuesday. On Friday, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 closed just a bit lower, wrapping up the week on a quiet note. (New York Stock Exchange)
Meta has positioned Powell McCormick’s new role as key to driving financing and execution during its expansion. “Dina’s experience at the highest levels of global finance … makes her uniquely suited,” Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a company post announcing the appointment. (About Facebook)
Energy is now a key piece of the puzzle. Earlier this month, Meta announced deals with Vistra, TerraPower, and Oklo, aiming to back as much as 6.6 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2035 for the grids that support its operations, including the Prometheus “supercluster” site in Ohio. Joel Kaplan from Meta stated, “Nuclear energy will help power our AI future.” (About Facebook)
The scramble for power extends beyond Meta. Tech giants like Meta, Amazon and Google are diving into small modular nuclear reactor projects and other long-term energy solutions as data center electricity demand climbs, the Financial Times reported. (Financial Times)
Meta also cut back on its virtual-reality workplace efforts, though on a smaller scale. A Quest support note revealed that Horizon Workrooms will end as a standalone app on Feb. 16, with all associated data set for deletion. (Meta)
The downside risk remains. If Meta’s spending picks up sharply again or ad demand falters, it could quickly overshadow executive commentary. That’s especially true for a stock often seen as a stand-in for “AI capex” sentiment in big tech.
Investors will zero in on one key area next: the tone around costs and timing. META’s guidance on 2026 capital spending, updates on infrastructure build-out, and a new take on Reality Labs losses could all determine if the stock stays within its recent range.
Meta’s earnings report on Jan. 28 is the next big event, with investors focused on spending, margins, and if AI-powered products are driving sustainable revenue gains. (Zacks)
