Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Meta Platforms (META) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

Meta Platforms (META - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $200.68, moving -1.06% from the previous trading session. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.16% loss on the day. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.12%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 3.64%.

Coming into today, shares of the social media company had gained 19.64% in the past month. In that same time, the Computer and Technology sector gained 6.7%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.07%.

Meta Platforms will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.95, down 28.31% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $27.48 billion, down 1.52% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $10.22 per share and revenue of $121.95 billion. These totals would mark changes of +3.97% and +4.58%, respectively, from last year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Meta Platforms should also be noted by investors. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 8.23% higher. Meta Platforms currently has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Digging into valuation, Meta Platforms currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 19.85. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 46.05.

We can also see that META currently has a PEG ratio of 1.87. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. Internet - Software stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.71 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 59, putting it in the top 24% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) - free report >>

Published in