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

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Meta Platforms (META - Free Report) closed at $300.83 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.59% move from the prior day. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.4%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.13%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 0.45%.

Heading into today, shares of the social media company had gained 4.76% over the past month, outpacing the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 1.45% and the S&P 500's loss of 1.38% in that time.

Meta Platforms will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. On that day, Meta Platforms is projected to report earnings of $3.53 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 115.24%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $33.41 billion, up 20.55% from the prior-year quarter.

For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $13.22 per share and revenue of $132.74 billion, which would represent changes of +34.49% and +13.84%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Meta Platforms. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable 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. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.73% higher within the past month. Meta Platforms is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Investors should also note Meta Platforms's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 22.63. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 37.22.

We can also see that META currently has a PEG ratio of 0.98. 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. Internet - Software stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.56 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 84, putting it in the top 34% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.


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