Latest news with #META
Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Analysts Remain Bullish on Meta Platforms Stock Despite Near-Term Headwinds
Meta Platforms (META) stock has risen 16.3% over the past month and is up 10.2% year-to-date. The company impressed investors with its market-beating first-quarter results. However, macro uncertainty and tariff wars could weigh on ad spend and impact Meta's performance. Despite near-term headwinds, most Wall Street analysts remain bullish on META stock, as they are confident about the social media giant's strong positioning, solid execution, and resilience. Confident Investing Starts Here: Meta Platforms' Impressive Performance Meta Platforms topped analysts' Q1 2025 revenue and earnings estimates, with its ad revenue rising 16% to $41.4 billion. Moreover, the company reported a 6% increase in daily active users across its family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp) to 3.43 billion. The company is leveraging AI (artificial intelligence) to enhance its tools. Meta's artificial intelligence assistant, Meta AI, now has one billion monthly active users across the company's family of apps. While Meta Platforms lowered its full-year expenses outlook, it raised its capex guidance to the range of $64-$72 billion from $60-65 billion for additional data center investments to support its AI initiatives and a rise in the expected cost of infrastructure hardware. Overall, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed confidence in navigating the ongoing macro uncertainties. Analysts' Views on META Stock's Growth Trajectory Recently, Loop Capital analyst Rob Sanderson increased the price target for Meta Platforms stock to $888 from $695 and maintained a Buy rating, citing the company's upbeat Q2 2025 outlook. The 5-star analyst stated that his expectation that a drop in spending intensity from China-based advertisers would flatten revenue growth was a 'misread.' Sanderson believes that META stock remains the best non-hardware example of a tangible, 'right-now beneficiary of AI.' He expects META stock to outperform the Magnificent 7 peer group this year. Likewise, encouraged by the Q1 results and second-quarter outlook, Guggenheim analyst Michael Morris reaffirmed a Buy rating on META stock and increased the price target to $725 from $675. The 5-star analyst noted that management's discussion and outlook focused on continued pursuit of the growth opportunities in AI, engagement, and advertising, with the guidance reflecting the impact of macro uncertainty, demand headwinds from Asian e-commerce exporters, and healthy April ad trends. Morris believes that overall, Meta Platforms indicated that demand across its portfolio remains strong, as reflected in the 6% user growth, 5% impression growth, and 10% ad pricing growth. META's enhanced engagement is driven by AI developments, primarily through improved content recommendations, noted the analyst. Overall, Morris continues to view Meta as the 'best positioned digital ad player,' particularly as more supply is expected to come online later this year. Is META a Good Stock to Buy? With 41 Buys, three Holds, and one Sell recommendation, Wall Street has a Strong Buy recommendation on Meta Platforms stock. The average of $696.12 implies about 8% upside potential from current levels.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jim Cramer on Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) Stock: 'Good Level to Buy'
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) stands against other stocks that Jim Cramer discusses. When a caller expressed that they are considering starting a position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) stock, Cramer stated: 'I like your thinking very much. I think Meta's having a great quarter. I also think that they are without a doubt the best advertising bet. What happens if he actually starts, Mark Zuckerberg starts to want to, let's say, monetize WhatsApp? Do you know how much that darn thing's worth? I think you got horse sense. Good level to buy.' Photo by Timothy Hales Bennett on Unsplash Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) develops technologies and applications that help individuals connect and communicate across various digital devices, including social media apps and immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences. On May 1, during an episode of Mad Money, Cramer discussed the company as he said: '[Talking about the market's gains] Led by two of these mega caps, the Microsoft and Meta platforms, we're reminded of how the mega caps got so big to begin with. It's their scale, their smarts, their moats, their balance sheets, and their sensational products. […] Meta Platforms jumped $23, 4.23%. Spectacular gains, tremendous outlooks, tremendous! […] Overall, META ranks 1st on our list of stocks that Jim Cramer discusses. While we acknowledge the potential of META as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than META and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Famous Investor Remains Very Upbeat on META Platforms (META)
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, are "delivering" and "executing," while the tech giant's "fundamentals" are strong, Stephanie Link, who frequently appears on CNBC, said on the channel recently. Link is the Chief Investment Strategist at Hightower Advisors. The advertising behemoth delivered "the best" first-quarter earnings out of all of the Mag 7 names, Link said. In addition to providing "beat-and-raise" earnings, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) generated revenue growth of 16% in Q1, versus the same period a year earlier, Link noted. Additionally, its margins climbed 3.6 percentage points year-over-year, the famous investor pointed out. Calling the overall results "remarkable," Link added that Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)'s free cash flow, capital spending, and operating expenditures "all (moved) in the right direction." Finally, she is pleased with Meta's decision to continue investing heavily in AI. In the last month, the shares have climbed 17%, while they have fallen 5% in the last three months. While we acknowledge the potential of META as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than META and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Meta Platforms' (META) AI Assistant Has One Billion Users, Says Mark Zuckerberg
Meta Platforms (META) artificial intelligence (AI) assistant now has one billion monthly active users, according to company CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Confident Investing Starts Here: The one billion milestone, which has been achieved across the company's suite of apps, was announced at Meta's annual shareholder meeting. Zuckerberg told the assembled crowd that Meta's focus is to make Meta AI the 'leading personal AI with an emphasis on personalization, voice conversations, and entertainment.' The AI assistant vaulted to one billion users after Meta released in April a standalone app for the tool. Zuckerberg added that the plan is to continue growing Meta AI before building a business around it, saying that 'a subscription service' is likely in the not-too-distant future. Challenging ChatGPT With Meta AI, the company run by Mark Zuckerberg is challenging the dominance of privately held OpenAI and its ChatGPT assistant. Other companies such as Alphabet (GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT), and Apple (AAPL) are also developing AI assistants for public use. 'It may seem kind of funny that a billion monthly actives doesn't seem like it's at scale for us, but that's where we're at,' Zuckerberg told shareholders at the annual gathering. Meta Platforms has pivoted over the last two years to focus its capital expenditures and other resources on developing AI. META stock has gained 10% this year. Is META Stock a Buy? The stock of Meta Platforms has a consensus Strong Buy rating among 45 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on 41 Buy, three Hold, and one Sell recommendations issued in the past three months. The average META price target of $696.12 implies 8.16% upside from current levels.
Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Journalism is vital during conflict, says Annahar's editor-in-chief
DUBAI: Journalism becomes a vital element of truth-telling during times of conflict, said Nayla Tueni, editor-in-chief of Lebanon's Annahar Media Group, at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai on Wednesday. In conversation with Moon Baz, META's director of global partnerships for the Middle East, Africa and Turkiye, Tueni highlighted the unique hurdles Lebanese media faces. 'Lebanon is different,' she told the audience. 'We've endured wars and instability. The duty is to keep people informed.' Annahar is among the media organizations leveraging WhatsApp Channels, a one-way broadcast tool used to deliver timely updates. Tueni emphasized how essential this speed of communication becomes during times of crisis. 'WhatsApp Channels played a crucial role during the war. People needed constant updates,' she said. 'We can now send voice notes and videos, which help us engage diverse demographics.' With over 250,000 subscribers, Annahar is focused on making its content more relevant and personalized, she said. Tueni said generational differences influence media consumption and organizations must adapt to these different needs. 'Some prefer on-the-scene images, while others want to click a link and read in depth.' Tueni offered advice for aspiring media leaders. 'It's all about knowing your audience,' she said. 'The world keeps changing, and we have to adapt. Media must be malleable.'
