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Dan Niles Bullish on Meta Platforms (META) After Earnings, Says Guidance Was Conservative

We recently published a list of 9 Buzzing AI Stocks to Watch on Latest News. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) stands against other buzzing AI stocks to watch on latest news.

Doug Clinton, Intelligent Alpha founder, talked recently about the issue of scaling in AI on CNBC and said that in the past the improvement of AI models was surging based on the data inputs. However, Clinton referred to the recent reports of AI models hitting a plateau in performance. He believes this issue will be important for AI investors in the coming months and years.

“Just to give the quick 101: Over the last few years, what we’ve seen in AI model development is that the more data you put into these models and the more compute you use to train them, the better the models get—very predictable. However, recent reports from OpenAI and Google show that the latest models they’ve trained haven’t been as good as expected based on scaling laws. This has sparked debate in Silicon Valley. Even Sam Altman tweeted about it last week, saying, “There is no wall,” so maybe it’s not an issue—we’ll see. But I think Jensen really needs to address that question because the 18 to 24-month picture hinges on whether these companies will need to invest in something beyond just compute.”

However, the analyst is bullish on the broader AI market in the long term and believes companies are just getting started in this bull market.

“I think if you take a longer-term view—2 to 4 years—we’re still very confident we’ll be in an AI bull market. That doesn’t mean there won’t be pullbacks here and there, but I think we have a long way to go. Companies are really just starting to adopt AI, and we’ll begin to see those revenues over the next year and beyond.”

READ ALSO Jim Cramer’s Latest Lightning Round: 11 Stocks to Watch and Jim Cramer on AMD and Other Stocks

For this article we picked 10 AI stocks trending on latest news and analyst ratings. With each stock we have mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

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Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ:META)

Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 235

Dan Niles, Niles Investment Management founder and portfolio manager, discussed Meta earnings in a program on CNBC and said the stock remains among his favorites for the rest of this year.

“Meta came out, had solid results, but they always guide conservatively in the September quarter for the outlook, and the stock sold off, which is what we expected it to do.”

Despite posting strong quarterly results, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) shares fell as rising AI-related expenses yet again spooked investors about ROI. However, Meta platforms (NASDAQ:META) bulls believe Zuckerberg’s plan to keep spending on AI is totally justified.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) is driving usage and ads revenue by improving its algorithms and user experience thanks to AI. Meta also reported strong adoption of its Llama AI model, attracting over 500 million monthly active users across its platforms. This progress positions Meta well for robust profitability in the next two years as it scales its AI infrastructure.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)’s advancements in Reels and WhatsApp are helping manage CapEx growth as the company strives to stay competitive in AI.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)’s clear monetization strategy for its generative AI, especially with Llama3, makes it a strong contender against rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)’s substantial user base of 3.3 billion provides a data and distribution edge that could capture a significant share of the GenAI market. Although short-term investors may be concerned about Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)’s increased AI spending, its forward P/E ratio of 24x, based on FY 2025 EPS estimates of $24.62, makes it the second-most affordable big tech stock, after Google, within its peer group (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google).

According to some estimates, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) is on track to potentially achieve $25-26 per share in EPS next year, slightly above the consensus estimate. Factors such as a strong U.S. economy, lower inflation, favorable online ad pricing, and AI investments could fuel earnings growth. If Meta’s valuation aligns with the industry average P/E of 26.6x, shares could reach over $600.

Alger Spectra Fund stated the following regarding Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in its Q3 2024 investor letter:

“Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) operates the world’s largest social network, with over 3 billion monthly active users. The company generates more than 95% of its revenue from advertising, evenly split between North America and international markets. During the quarter, shares contributed to performance following the release of strong fiscal second quarter operating results, with revenues and earnings beating analyst estimates. Management also raised their fiscal 2024 revenue guidance, citing improved advertising monetization. CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that AI has played a key role in these successes, as the company is leveraging AI to enhance targeting, measurement, ranking, and ad delivery. Higher user engagement, driven by video ranking, content recommendations, and single video views, has also supported growth. Additionally, the optimization of ad placements within videos and automation of ad campaigns are further boosting monetization.”

Overall, META ranks 3rd on our list of buzzing AI stocks to watch on latest news. While we acknowledge the potential of META, our conviction lies in the belief that under the radar AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than META but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

The $250 Trillion AI Hype is Real. A few years from now, you’ll probably wish you’d bought this stock.

When Jeff Bezos said that one breakthrough technology would shape Amazon’s destiny, even Wall Street’s biggest analysts were caught off guard.

Fast forward a year and Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that is already being used across Amazon to reinvent customer experiences.

At the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, Elon Musk predicted that by 2040 there would be at least 10 billion humanoid robots, with each priced between $20,000 and $25,000.

Do the math. According to Musk, this technology could be worth $250 trillion by 2040.

Put another way, that’s roughly equal to:

  • 175 Teslas
  • 107 Amazons
  • 140 Metas
  • 84 Googles
  • 65 Microsofts
  • And 55 Nvidias

And here’s the wild part — this $250 trillion wave isn’t tied to one company, but to an entire ecosystem of AI innovators set to reshape the global economy.

It’s a leap so massive, it could reshape how businesses, governments, and consumers operate worldwide.

Even if that $250 trillion figure sounds ambitious, major firms like PwC and McKinsey still see AI unlocking multi-trillion-dollar potential.

How could anything be worth that much?

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In fact, Verge argues this company’s supercheap AI technology should concern rivals.

Before I reveal the details, let’s talk about how some of the richest people on the planet are positioning themselves.

  • Bill Gates sees artificial intelligence as the “biggest technological advance in my lifetime,” more transformative than the internet or personal computer, capable of improving healthcare, education, and addressing climate change.
  • Larry Ellison — through Oracle, is spending billions on Nvidia chips and partnering with Cohere to embed generative AI across Oracle’s cloud and apps.
  • Warren Buffett — not known for tech hype — says this breakthrough could have a ‘hugely beneficial social impact.

When billionaires from Silicon Valley to Wall Street line up behind the same idea — you know it’s worth paying attention to.

Even as we admire what Tesla, Nvidia, Alphabet, and Microsoft have built, we believe an even greater opportunity lies elsewhere…

But the real story isn’t Nvidia — it’s a much smaller company quietly improving the critical technology that makes this entire revolution possible.

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