Cathie Wood Is Still Buying Meta Platforms Stock. Should You?

Core Insights - Meta Platforms (META) has underperformed the broader market this year, which is unusual for a "Magnificent 7" stock, prompting Cathie Wood to invest over $21 million in 33,837 shares, viewing the current situation as a risk-reward opportunity due to the company's long-term AI ambitions [1][3] Financial Performance - Meta reported a $16 billion tax bill in its latest earnings report, which contributed to selling pressure on the stock, despite a strong top line performance [3] - The company's stock returns of 5.45% over the past year lag behind the S&P 500 Index's 12.88% performance, with META holding the fifth-largest weighting in the index [4] Valuation Metrics - The current forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio for META is 27.82x, which is 22% above its five-year average of 22.81x, indicating that while the stock is reasonably valued, it is not cheap [5] - The forward price-to-sales (P/S) ratio is trading at a similar premium to its historical average, but it remains the second-lowest among its "Magnificent 7" peers [5] Growth Potential - META is projected to have a 20.3% earnings growth next year, excluding Nvidia, which is significantly higher than its peers, and its gross margins of 82% surpass Nvidia's 70% [6] - The current headwinds are viewed as an opportunity for investors, as the company is expected to outperform its peers in the coming year [6]