Meta Platforms (META) Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know

Company Performance - Meta Platforms (META) closed at $626.31, reflecting a +1.21% change from the previous trading day's close, outperforming the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.16% [1] - Over the past month, shares of Meta Platforms have decreased by 7.38%, which is worse than the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 5.94% and the S&P 500's loss of 3.59% [1] Upcoming Earnings - Meta Platforms is projected to report earnings of$ 5.33 per share, indicating a year-over-year growth of 13.16% [2] - Revenue is expected to reach $41.43 billion, representing a 13.64% increase compared to the same quarter last year [2] Annual Forecast - For the entire year, earnings are forecasted at$ 25.61 per share and revenue at $188.8 billion, reflecting changes of +7.33% and +14.77% respectively compared to the previous year [3] Analyst Estimates - Recent changes to analyst estimates for Meta Platforms are important as they indicate the evolving nature of near-term business trends [3] - Positive estimate revisions are seen as a sign of optimism regarding the company's business outlook [3] Zacks Rank and Performance - The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from 1 (Strong Buy) to 5 (Strong Sell), shows that 1 ranked stocks have yielded an average annual return of +25% since 1988 [4][5] - Currently, Meta Platforms holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [5] Valuation Metrics - Meta Platforms is trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 24.16, which is lower than its industry's Forward P/E of 28.29 [6] - The company has a PEG ratio of 1.32, compared to the Internet - Software industry's average PEG ratio of 2.07 [6] Industry Context - The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector and holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 128, placing it in the top 50% of over 250 industries [7] - Research indicates that top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [7]