Meta Platforms (META) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know

Meta Platforms (META) closed the latest trading day at $623.50, indicating a +1.14% change from the previous session's end. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.61% gain on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 1.28%.Heading into today, shares of the social media company had gained 1.43% over the past month, outpacing the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 1.24% and lagging the S&P 500's gain of 2.08% in that time.Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Meta Platforms in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on January 29, 2025. The company is predicted to post an EPS of $6.84, indicating a 28.33% growth compared to the equivalent quarter last year. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $47 billion, indicating a 17.18% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Meta Platforms. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability.Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 1.46% higher. Meta Platforms is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).In terms of valuation, Meta Platforms is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 24.13. This expresses a discount compared to the average Forward P/E of 29.01 of its industry.Also, we should mention that META has a PEG ratio of 1.16. 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. The Internet - Software industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.19 as trading concluded yesterday.The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 41, finds itself in the top 17% echelons of all 250+ industries.The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.To follow META in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Meta Platforms, Inc. (META): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks