Meta vs Sysco: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Meta reported $201B of revenue in FY2025 and $60.5B of net income. Sysco reported $84.6B of revenue in FY2026 and $1.8B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Meta
Meta's revenue grew from $116.609B in 2022 to $200.966B in 2025, and net income rose from $23.2B to $60.458B. FY2025 income from operations was $83.276B. In 2026 the story is spending: Q2 2026 costs rose 55% to $42.03B, the operating margin fell to 31% from 43%, and quarterly capex of $31.08B left free cash flow at $784M. Meta had $90.26B of cash and marketable securities and $83.66B of long-term debt at June 30, 2026. It expects 2026 total expenses of $165-169B and still expects 2026 operating income to exceed 2025.
Sysco
Sysco's revenue grew from $76.3 billion in fiscal 2023 to $78.8 billion in fiscal 2024, $81.4 billion in fiscal 2025 and $84.6 billion in fiscal 2026. Profit has not kept pace: fiscal 2026 net earnings declined 3.9% to about $1.76 billion and operating income edged up 0.2% to about $3.1 billion, partly reflecting higher incentive compensation costs. The fourth quarter was stronger, with sales up 4.7% to $22.1 billion, operating income up 10.6% to $983 million and adjusted EPS of $1.53. Full-year adjusted EPS was $4.61.
Revenue and profit by year
Meta
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $201B | $60.5B | 30.1% | +22.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | $164.5B | $62.4B | 37.9% | +21.9% | Source |
| FY2023 | $134.9B | $39.1B | 29.0% | +15.7% | Source |
| FY2022 | $116.6B | $23.2B | 19.9% | -1.1% | Source |
| FY2021 | $117.9B | $39.4B | 33.4% | +37.2% | Source |
| FY2020 | $86B | $29.1B | 33.9% | +21.6% | Source |
| FY2019 | $70.7B | $18.5B | 26.1% | +26.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $55.8B | $22.1B | 39.6% | +37.4% | Source |
| FY2017 | $40.7B | $15.9B | 39.2% | +47.1% | Source |
| FY2016 | $27.6B | $10.2B | 37.0% | — | Source |
Sysco
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | $84.6B | $1.8B | 2.1% | +3.9% | Source |
| FY2025 | $81.4B | $1.8B | 2.2% | +3.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | $78.8B | $2B | 2.5% | +3.3% | Source |
| FY2023 | $76.3B | $1.8B | 2.3% | +11.2% | Source |
| FY2022 | $68.6B | $1.4B | 2.0% | +33.8% | Source |
| FY2021 | $51.3B | $524.2M | 1.0% | -3.0% | Source |
| FY2020 | $52.9B | $215.5M | 0.4% | -12.0% | Source |
| FY2019 | $60.1B | $1.7B | 2.8% | +2.4% | Source |
| FY2018 | $58.7B | $1.4B | 2.4% | +6.1% | Source |
| FY2017 | $55.4B | $1.1B | 2.1% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Meta
- Advertising
~97.6% (FY2025)
Ads across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads and WhatsApp; $196.175B in FY2025.
- Other revenue and Reality Labs
~2.4% (FY2025)
WhatsApp Business messaging, Meta Verified subscriptions, Quest headsets and Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
Sysco
- Foodservice Distribution
Not formally reported
Sysco earns the spread between what it pays suppliers and what it charges restaurants, healthcare, education, hospitality and government accounts, on $84.6 billion of fiscal 2026 revenue.
- Sysco Brand Private Label
Not formally reported
Private-label penetration is one of the main drivers of profit on thin margins; operating margin was about 3.7% in fiscal 2026.
- Specialty Categories
Not formally reported
Specialty categories such as produce and protein.
- SYGMA National Chains
Not formally reported
Large national chains are served through SYGMA, at lower margins than local independent customers.
Business model and strategy
Meta
How it makes money
Meta makes money by selling ads. Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads are free to use, and advertisers pay to reach people in feeds, Stories, Reels and click-to-message formats. Advertising produced $196.175B of Meta's $200.966B FY2025 revenue, about 97.6%. Q2 2026 growth came from 14% more ad impressions and a 12% higher average price per ad.
Growth strategy
Meta's growth plan runs through AI. Better ranking and ad-delivery models raise engagement on Reels and feeds and lift ad prices, which drove the 28% revenue growth in Q2 2026. Meta Superintelligence Labs, led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, released the first Muse Spark model in April 2026, followed by a paid API and the Muse consumer AI agent in September 2026.
Competitive advantage
Meta's moat is distribution plus data. Its apps reach 3.60 billion people every day, so new products such as Threads, Meta AI and Muse can launch to a huge audience at once. Advertisers stay because Meta's AI ad tools such as Advantage+ convert across that audience at a scale only Google matches. Meta also owns its compute, custom MTIA chips and frontier models, which reduces its dependence on outside AI suppliers.
Sysco
How it makes money
Sysco makes money on the spread between what it pays suppliers and what it charges foodservice customers, plus delivery and service economics. It buys food and non-food products in bulk, stores them in temperature-controlled distribution centers, and delivers mixed orders to restaurants, healthcare, education, hospitality and government accounts.
Growth strategy
Sysco is growing through local case growth, specialty category expansion, digital ordering, operational productivity, private-label penetration, national-account wins, international markets, and selective acquisitions. The Jetro deal would add 166 warehouse stores, about 725,000 independent restaurant and foodservice customers, and approximately $16 billion of 2025 revenue.
Competitive advantage
Sysco's moat is route density. The more customers it serves in a geography, the more efficiently it can fill trucks, spread warehouse costs, negotiate with suppliers, and offer reliable delivery. Its digital ordering tools, private brands, specialty products, national accounts, and procurement scale reinforce that density.
Questions about Meta vs Sysco
Which company has higher revenue — Meta Platforms, Inc. or Sysco Corporation?
Meta Platforms, Inc. reported $201.0B (FY2025), while Sysco Corporation reported $84.6B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, Meta Platforms, Inc. is the larger business, with Sysco Corporation reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of Meta Platforms, Inc. vs Sysco Corporation?
Meta Platforms, Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $1.90T, while Sysco Corporation's is $38.5B. Meta Platforms, Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Sysco Corporation.
Which is more financially efficient — Meta Platforms, Inc. or Sysco Corporation?
Meta Platforms, Inc. generates $2.66M / employee in revenue per employee, while Sysco Corporation generates $1.13M / employee. Meta Platforms, Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Meta Platforms, Inc. and Sysco Corporation make money?
Meta Platforms, Inc. and Sysco Corporation generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Meta Platforms, Inc.: Meta makes money by selling ads. Sysco Corporation: Sysco makes money on the spread between what it pays suppliers and what it charges foodservice customers, plus delivery and service economics.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Meta Platforms, Inc. or Sysco Corporation?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Meta Platforms, Inc. trades at 9.5x P/S and Sysco Corporation at 0.5x P/S. Meta Platforms, Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Sysco Corporation. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Meta Platforms, Inc. bigger than Sysco Corporation?
By last reported revenue, Meta Platforms, Inc. ($201.0B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Sysco Corporation ($84.6B (FY2026)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Meta vs Sysco overview