Facebook posted a net profit of $1.56 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2015. Net profit was $701 million in the same quarter last year, a staggering growth of 122.82%. Facebook's net profit was primarily boosted by its ad revenues which grew 57% y-o-y to $5.64 billion from $3.59 billion in the same period last year. Some takeaways from Facebook's earnings and call with analysts. Facebook is monetizing Instagram Facebook began monetizing its photo sharing app Instagram. The company said that Instagram had crossed 400 million users last quarter. Chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said that 98 out of Facebook's 100 top advertisers have advertised on Instagram in Q4. However, chief financial officer Dave Wehner clarified that though Instagram did contribute to total revenues, the growth in ad revenue was primarily driven by Facebook. "We’re certainly very pleased with the performance of Instagram and it certainly made a contribution this quarter. But make no mistake, Facebook, core Facebook is really driving the top-line," Wehner added. WhatsApp has crossed 1 billion active users CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that messaging service WhatsApp crossed 1 billion active users at the end of the year. In September 2015, WhatsApp said that it has 900 million monthly active users with India as its largest market. Earlier this month, WhatsApp said it would be dropping its annual subscription fees and test new revenue models that will allow users to communicate with businesses and organizations they want. Wehner also added that in 2016, Facebook will giving out stock-based compensation to…
