10 AI Stocks Analysts Are Watching Closely

3. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)

Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 273

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is one of the 10 AI Stocks Analysts Are Watching Closely. On July 31, BofA Securities analyst Justin Post raised the price target on the stock to $900.00 (from $775.00) while maintaining a “Buy” rating.

Post’s optimism stems from Meta being a top AI beneficiary. The price target for the stock has been raised on the back of BofA’s higher 2026 earnings per share estimates and an increased price-to-earnings multiple of 27x due to higher revenue growth expectations and artificial intelligence opportunities.

“Raising revenues, expenses and 2026E EPS by 12% A strong 3Q outlook suggests AI investments are delivering results & we think street will remain optimistic on future revenue upside potential. We are raising estimates reflecting higher users, usage & monetization.”

The firm also raised its estimates for revenue and earnings per share.

“For 2025E, we raise rev. by 5% to $199bn & EPS by 11% to $29.73. For 2026E, we raise rev. by 9% to $237bn, expenses by 8% to $143bn (+26% y/y) and EPS by 12% to $32.63. We raise PO to $900 (from $775) based on higher 2026 EPS & higher 27x multiple (vs 26x prior) reflecting higher rev growth & AI opportunity.”

Meta’s AI investments have been delivering results with increasing usage, AI ad stack integrations, and advertising opportunities acting as growth drivers for the second half of the year.

“A growing list of new ad capabilities reinforces our confidence in the strength of Meta’s AI ad engine. We continue to view Meta as one of the top AI beneficiaries in our coverage & believe the company is well positioned to lead in an emerging agentic AI ecosystem.”