In the latest trading session, Meta Platforms (META) closed at $518.22, marking a +0.28% move from the previous day. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.59%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw a decrease of 0.23%.
Shares of the social media company have appreciated by 8.83% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Computer and Technology sector’s gain of 1.79% and the S&P 500’s gain of 2.55%.
The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Meta Platforms in its upcoming release. The company’s earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $5.14, reflecting a 17.08% increase from the same quarter last year. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $40.08 billion, showing a 17.38% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.
For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $21.30 per share and a revenue of $161.62 billion, representing changes of +43.24% and +19.8%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Meta Platforms. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company’s business and profitability.
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.
The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 5.15% upward. Meta Platforms currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Meta Platforms has a Forward P/E ratio of 24.26 right now. This indicates a discount in contrast to its industry’s Forward P/E of 30.
We can also see that META currently has a PEG ratio of 1.28. 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. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Internet – Software industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.91.
The Internet – Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 97, placing it within the top 39% of over 250 industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.
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Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) : Free Stock Analysis Report