Should You Think About Buying Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) Now?

Today we're going to take a look at the well-established Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB). The company's stock saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the NASDAQGS. With many analysts covering the large-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Let’s take a look at Meta Platforms’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

View our latest analysis for Meta Platforms

What's the opportunity in Meta Platforms?

Good news, investors! Meta Platforms is still a bargain right now according to my price multiple model, which compares the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. I’ve used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because there’s not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stock’s ratio of 14.49x is currently well-below the industry average of 28.6x, meaning that it is trading at a cheaper price relative to its peers. What’s more interesting is that, Meta Platforms’s share price is quite volatile, which gives us more chances to buy since the share price could sink lower (or rise higher) in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

What kind of growth will Meta Platforms generate?

Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. Meta Platforms' earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 20%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? Since FB is currently below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current price multiple.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on FB for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its buoyant future profit outlook isn’t fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it’s not too late to buy FB. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed investment decision.

In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. At Simply Wall St, we found 1 warning sign for Meta Platforms and we think they deserve your attention.

If you are no longer interested in Meta Platforms, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.