Louis Stevens is a former U.S. Army engineer officer who holds an MBA and a BA in political science. Since beginning his journey publishing investment research, Louis has become one of the leading analysts in the investing community, ranking in the top .1% according to TipRanks: https://www.tipranks.com/experts/bloggers/louis-stevens. Louis created L.A. Stevens Research in which he runs the LAS Index, a basket of stocks chosen via his proprietary method for investing, which has consistently outperformed the ...

Core Viewpoint - The recent sell-off in AI stocks, particularly Nvidia, has created attractive investment opportunities in other companies like Micron Technology, Oracle, and Meta Platforms [1][3]. Group 1: Nvidia and Market Context - Nvidia's stock has dropped over 20% from its high at the beginning of the year due to disappointing financial results and external factors such as trade policies [3][2]. - The sell-off was triggered by advancements in AI technology from competitors, particularly China's DeepSeek AI, which developed a more efficient large language model [1][3]. Group 2: Micron Technology - Micron Technology supplies high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a critical component for Nvidia's chips, and is well-positioned to benefit from the growing demand for memory in AI applications [4][6]. - The company is experiencing a significant increase in demand for memory chips, with analysts projecting a 62.5% growth in earnings per share for fiscal 2026, following a 429% increase this year [9]. - Micron's current forward P/E ratio is 15, indicating a low valuation, while its price-to-sales ratio of about 4 aligns with its five-year average, suggesting fair value with upside potential [10]. Group 3: Oracle - Oracle has transitioned to support cloud computing platforms, with its database software seeing a 92% sequential revenue growth in Database MultiCloud [12]. - The company has a remaining performance obligation of $130 billion, up 63% from the previous year, indicating strong demand for AI infrastructure [14]. - Oracle's stock trades at 25 times forward earnings estimates, which is considered a reasonable price given its growth prospects and potential for margin expansion [16]. Group 4: Meta Platforms - Meta Platforms is investing heavily in AI infrastructure, with plans to spend up to $65 billion on capital expenditures this year, focusing on enhancing its advertising capabilities [18][20]. - The company is leveraging generative AI to improve ad placements and engagement, with over 4 million marketers using its tools for campaign development [21]. - Despite recent stock price declines, Meta's long-term AI opportunities, particularly in monetizing messaging apps, are significant and may not be fully reflected in its current stock price [23].

Core Insights - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) has achieved a total return of 91% since a Strong Buy recommendation was issued on November 1, 2023 [1] Group 1 - The S&P 500 has delivered a total return that can be compared to Meta's performance, indicating a significant outperformance by Meta [1] - Blue Chip Portfolios is an investment publication focused on providing insights on single stocks, ETFs, and CEFs [1] - The publication also produces the Blue Chip Portfolio's Newsletter on Beehiiv [1]

Group 1 - Meta Platforms' shares increased by 3.9% on Monday, with a peak gain of 4.4% earlier in the day, coinciding with gains in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite [1] - The company is in discussions with Reliance Industries to enhance its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in India, which is a rapidly developing market [2] - The partnership would involve hosting Meta's AI models in a new data center being built by Reliance in Jamnagar, Gujarat, which is set to be the largest AI data center in the world [2] Group 2 - Meta's core business is thriving, with record revenue of $164.5 billion in 2024, reflecting a 22% increase from 2023 [3] - The company's strong social media presence supports its growth, and it maintains a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 25.7, indicating that its stock is well-priced [3]

The European Union is set to slap Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta with a fine that could stretch to $1 billion or more for allegedly violating its strict antitrust rules, The Post has learned – setting up a possible showdown with President Trump, who has compared the EU’s penalties to “overseas extortion.”The European Commission, the EU’s antitrust watchdog, is expected to conclude that Meta is not in compliance with the Digital Markets Act, sources close to the situation told The Post on Monday.The landmark law too ...

The recommendations of Wall Street analysts are often relied on by investors when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock. Media reports about these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts changing their ratings often affect a stock's price. Do they really matter, though?Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Meta Platforms (META) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage.Meta Platforms currently ha ...

Group 1 - OpenAI and Meta Platforms are in discussions with Reliance Industries to explore partnerships for expanding AI offerings in India [1][3] - A potential collaboration between Reliance Jio and OpenAI is being considered to distribute ChatGPT, with Reliance also looking to sell OpenAI's models to enterprise customers via an API [1][3] - Reliance is planning to build a three-gigawatt data center in Jamnagar, Gujarat, which would be the largest in the world, to host and run Meta and OpenAI models [4][6] Group 2 - OpenAI is contemplating reducing the ChatGPT subscription price to several dollars from the current $20 per month, although it is unclear if this has been discussed with Reliance [2] - Reliance aims to ensure that local customer data remains within India by hosting OpenAI models locally [3] - Reliance Industries is a major conglomerate in India, involved in various sectors including petrochemicals, telecommunications, and green energy [5]

Core Viewpoint - Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, is considering introducing a subscription service for UK users to access an advert-free version of its platforms following a settlement in a significant privacy lawsuit [1][4]. Group 1: Legal Settlement - Tanya O'Carroll, a human rights campaigner, filed a lawsuit against Meta in 2022, claiming the company violated UK data laws by not respecting her request to stop collecting her data for targeted advertising [2]. - The lawsuit was settled on Friday, with O'Carroll declaring a "victory" as Meta agreed to cease using her personal data for targeted ads, supported by the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) [3][4]. - O'Carroll emphasized that the ICO's position could lead to more lawsuits regarding privacy rights, highlighting the importance of individual privacy in the digital age [4]. Group 2: Meta's Response and Future Plans - Meta expressed disagreement with O'Carroll's claims but acknowledged its commitment to UK privacy laws, specifically GDPR, and is considering a subscription model for UK users to avoid ads [4][5]. - The company already offers a no-ads service in the EU for €7.99 per month, following a ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2023 [5]. - Advertising constitutes approximately 98% of Meta's revenue, indicating a significant shift in strategy if a subscription model is implemented [4].

Core Points - A human rights campaigner, Tanya O'Carroll, has successfully forced Meta to stop using her data for targeted advertising through a legal settlement [1][3] - The settlement is based on U.K. and E.U. data protection laws that grant individuals the right to object to the use of their personal data for direct marketing [2][5] - O'Carroll's case sets a precedent for others to exercise their rights against Meta's data processing practices [3][5] Legal Context - O'Carroll argued that Meta's personalized ads constitute direct marketing, which should be subject to user objections under existing data protection laws [2][5] - Meta claimed that its personalized ads are not direct marketing, but the settlement indicates a shift in the legal landscape regarding data privacy [3][5] - The case highlights the ongoing challenges in enforcing privacy laws against surveillance-based advertising models like Meta's [5][7] Regulatory Environment - The U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) supported O'Carroll's position, suggesting that other users may have stronger grounds for objecting to data processing [8] - Meta has faced numerous GDPR complaints and fines since the regulation came into effect in May 2018, but its core business model remains largely unchanged [6][7] - There are indications that enforcement actions are beginning to impact Meta's operations in Europe [7] Future Implications - O'Carroll anticipates that Meta may adopt a "pay or consent" model in the U.K., similar to its approach in the E.U., requiring users to either consent to data tracking or pay for ad-free services [9] - The specifics of the tracking-free access provided to O'Carroll remain undisclosed, but she confirmed that she will not incur any costs [9]

Core Insights - Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously stated that selling access to Llama AI models is not the company's business model, yet recent court filings reveal that Meta does earn revenue through revenue-sharing agreements related to Llama [1][2] Revenue Generation - Meta shares a percentage of the revenue generated by companies hosting its Llama models, although specific hosts are not disclosed in the filings [2][3] - Notable partners that host Llama models include AWS, Nvidia, Databricks, Groq, Dell, Azure, Google Cloud, and Snowflake [3] Business Strategy - Zuckerberg has mentioned the potential for licensing access to Llama models and monetizing them through business messaging services and advertisements in AI interactions, although no specifics were provided [4] - The majority of the value derived from Llama is attributed to improvements made by the AI research community, which enhances various Meta products, including Meta's AI assistant [5][6] Capital Expenditures - Meta plans to significantly increase its capital expenditures, estimating $60 billion to $80 billion for 2025, primarily for data centers and AI development teams, which is roughly double the CapEx for 2024 [7] - To help offset these costs, Meta is reportedly considering launching a subscription service for Meta AI that would add unspecified capabilities [7]