We recently published a list of 10 Trending AI Stocks to Watch for the Rest of 2024. Since Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) ranks 3rd on the list, it deserves a deeper look.
Chris Hyzy, Merrill & Bank of America Private Bank chief investment officer, said while talking to CNBC in a latest program that there is “ a lot of momentum” behind the market rally. The analyst said that to gauge how much momentum we have behind the optimism, we need to analyze the “wedge” in the market.
“The biggest wedge that was in the market last year and in 2022 was inflation. That’s beginning to go away. It’s almost to the fact that no one’s is talking about whether or not we are going to have inflation that’s worrisome.”
Hyzy said that the Fed easing its fiscal policy and now China “joining the party” will be two key tailwinds for the market.
Answering a question about the hard landing vs soft landing debate, the analyst said we should look beyond the two possibilities as he believes there are many other scenarios to consider in between these two outcomes.
“We have a lot of components of a soft landing. I’d like to say it’s more of a mid-cycle slowdown with easier financial conditions that should actually create a profit revision to the upside not downside,” Hyzy added.
For this article we picked top 10 trending AI stocks on the back of latest news and analyst ratings. With each company 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: 219
Gene Munster, Deepwater Asset Management, said while talking to CNBC in a latest program that while he is bullish on Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META)’s ability to drive engagement on its platform using AI, the “substance” of the initial details at its Connect event was a “little thin.”
“Meta is making it clear they believe in a future where smart glasses – they refer to them as AI glasses – are going to be hundreds of millions of units. Today if you look at Quest it’s probably five million units, probably one percent of sales,” Munster said.
Asked whether the stock’s 60%+ gain so far this year is justified, Munster said yes, adding that Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META)’s earnings have posted strong growth and we haven’t even “begun” to see the benefit of AI.
The market has been reluctant about Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) massive spending on AI. What does Meta want to achieve with its AI spending? The company wants to use AI to improve engagement and language models like Llama 3 to improve user interactions, boost engagement, and better monetize its 3.2 billion daily active users.
But can Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) sustain this high spending? The company’s free cash flow margin is around 30%, and it’s well on track to report $50 billion in free cash flow this year. Based on this target the stock is trading at around 26 times this year’s free cash flow. Given the current trajectory continues Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) can post $58 billion in free cash flow by next year, which means the stock is trading at 21 times next year’s free cash flow. With a whopping $35 billion in net cash, a strong user base, and a key position in the consumer-facing side of the AI industry, Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) could be a solid long-term investment.
Rowan Street Capital stated the following regarding Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“We are pleased to report that Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), our largest position in the fund, has delivered a remarkable performance, +450% since our November 2022 note. Our investment in Meta dates back to 2018, with an average cost basis of approximately $172 per share. Today, the stock trades around $535, reflecting a 3x return over the six-year holding period, equating to a 20% annualized return.
We would like to remind you that achieving these types of returns is never a straight path. From time to time, we might experience volatility — that’s simply part of the investment journey. In fact, wealth creation and volatility go hand in hand. There’s no escaping it; it’s the “price of admission” the market demands. If you take a look at the chart below, you’ll notice the drawdowns META stock has faced over the years, with 2022 standing out as a particularly challenging period, where the stock saw a 75% drop…” (Click here to read the full text)
Overall, Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) ranks 3rd on Insider Monkey’s list titled 10 Trending AI Stocks to Watch for the Rest of 2024. While we acknowledge the potential of Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META), our conviction lies in the belief that 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.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.