Moody's Investors Service has reaffirmed Meta Platforms Inc.'s long-term issuer rating at Aa3, along with Aa3 ratings on the company's senior unsecured notes and a (P)Aa3 rating on its senior unsecured shelf. The agency maintained a stable outlook on the ratings.
Moody's said the affirmation is grounded in Meta's strong operating performance and effective execution, together with conservative credit metrics and substantial liquidity that cushion the company against risks tied to elevated capital spending. The ratings view, the agency added, takes into account Meta's sizable balance of cash and marketable securities and the company's operating scale.
The rating agency highlighted Meta's leading position in non-search digital advertising and pointed to the company's global reach, estimating a daily active user base of approximately 3.6 billion people across its family of applications. Those applications - including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram - form a scalable ecosystem that supports user and business communication, transactions and content sharing.
On revenue projections, Moody's anticipates Meta will grow sales by more than 20% in 2026 and by 18% in 2027. The agency noted those growth rates are roughly double the pace it expects for the broader digital advertising market, an outlook Moody's describes as notable given Meta's already large revenue base of around $200 billion.
Despite the revenue and EBITDA growth outlook, Moody's expects limited to no free cash flow generation over the next two years. That projection stems from elevated capital expenditures, which Moody's expects to run at about 50% of revenue annually. Even so, the agency says Meta remains well positioned for its rating category because of strong top-line and EBITDA growth, robust liquidity - measured at more than $81 billion in cash and marketable securities - and modest debt-to-EBITDA leverage.
Looking at leverage, Moody's projects total debt-to-EBITDA of less than 1x at year-end 2026 and 2027, together with modest net debt balances. These measures help underpin the Aa3 assessment in Moody's view.
Legal and regulatory factors
Moody's also incorporated material legal and regulatory risks into its ratings analysis. The agency noted the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case seeking the divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp reached a trial-level judgment in Meta's favor in November 2025, but the FTC filed an appeal in January 2026, which Moody's says extends legal uncertainty.
In addition, Moody's flagged extensive youth-related litigation in the United States and similar actions globally. Those cases allege that Facebook and Instagram contribute to social media addiction and mental health harms, and multiple trials are scheduled to proceed in 2026.
In Europe, the agency highlighted elevated regulatory risk under data protection and competition frameworks, specifically citing the General Data Protection Regulation and the Digital Markets Act. Moody's also pointed to ongoing investigations and enforcement activity under the EU Digital Services Act and the UK Online Safety Act. These inquiries and actions concern issues such as election integrity, content moderation and reporting, recommender systems and protections for minors.
Despite these legal and regulatory headwinds, Moody's reiterated that Meta's strong execution, exceptional liquidity position of more than $81 billion, low financial leverage and significant operating scale serve to mitigate those risks from a credit perspective.
Implications
- Moody's affirmation keeps Meta at investment-grade Aa3 with a stable outlook, reflecting confidence in the company's near-term operating trajectory.
- Elevated capital investment is expected to constrain free cash flow through 2027, even as revenue and EBITDA expand.
- Ongoing legal and regulatory proceedings introduce uncertainty that Moody's continues to monitor alongside the company's financial strength.
Moody's view balances Meta's sizable liquidity and growth prospects against a heavy capital expenditure profile and a range of legal and regulatory risks, leaving the company within its current rating category for now.