We recently published a list of Top 10 Stocks to Watch Ahead of May. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) stands against other top stocks to watch ahead of May.

Aswath Damodaran from NYU Stern School of Business said in a latest interview with CNBC that while investors are “celebrating” positive results of a few major tech companies, the problems haunting these firms will take a while to show up in their results. However, Damodaran, also known as ‘Dean of Valuation,’ said it won’t be prudent to “give up” entirely on Mag. 7 companies.

“They can consolidate their advantage. In a weird way, again, all these troubles might play into the hands of the Mag 7, because the more troubles there are, the more flexibility gets rewarded. And as you pointed out, these companies are incredibly flexible, incredibly adaptable. We saw that with COVID, we saw that in 2022 with inflation, and I’m convinced you’re going to see it again. Doesn’t mean you load up on the Mag 7, but if you’ve never owned them, you had a chance to buy into at least one or two of them in the last month. You might have missed that chance, but the chance was there. So I wouldn’t give up that easily on the Mag 7.”

Damodaran said investors experienced a lot of “trauma” in April. He argued against reactionary investing and said that when investors respond to daily events and news cycles, they damage their portfolios.

“Maybe the best thing investors could have done is left at the start of the month, gone somewhere without internet service, and come back at the end of the month. Because everything we do is reactive, and often when you’re reacting to day-to-day events, you’re going to end up doing more damage to your portfolio than helping.”

READ ALSO: 7 Best Stocks to Buy For Long-Term and 8 Cheap Jim Cramer Stocks to Invest In.

For this article, we picked 10 stocks Wall Street analysts are talking about as the chaotic month of April nears its close. With each stock, we have mentioned its latest hedge fund sentiment. 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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)

Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 235

Jeffrey Small from Arbor Financial said in a recent program on Schwab Network that Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) valuation is low.

“I think Meta just recently had its best quarter in history. I don’t expect them to have a significant decrease in earnings going forward. I see the long-term picture of at least 20% earnings from their AI investments as a growth rate. That’s definitely one you want to buy at a discount today. It’s trading at 21 times earnings. I mean, it’s epically low.”

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) crushed expectations with the last quarterly results but yet again pointed to higher expenses in the future. In 2025, it sees total operating expenses in a range of $114-$119 billion, with 19-25% y/y growth. Capex is expected to rise 61-74% y/y to $60-$65 billion, compared to just $37.3 billion in FY24. Advertising rose strongly but analysts believe it should be seen in the context of higher political ad spend and holiday quarter perspective.  In 2025, the company might not be able to keep reporting double-digit growth in ad pricing amid weaker consumer spending and a cautious macroeconomic backdrop.

In the long term, Meta shares are expected to grow because of AI. How?

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is driving usage and ads revenue by improving its algorithms and user experience thanks to AI. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s advancements in Reels and WhatsApp are helping manage CapEx growth as the company strives to stay competitive in AI. Meta Platforms, Inc. (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.

Nightview Capital stated the following regarding Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:

“Core Opportunity: Meta Platforms, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:META) platforms—Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger—reach nearly half the world’s population daily, making it one of the most powerful advertising ecosystems globally. With investments in AI and augmented reality (AR), we believe Meta is also creating significant optionality for long-term growth.

Competitive Advantage: Thriving Core Platforms: In Q3, we saw Meta achieve a 23% YoY revenue growth,—a testament to strong user engagement across its ecosystem. The advertising landscape as a whole continues to evolve and we believe Meta’s existing platforms offer a defined advantage in this new world. Existing platforms in the age of AI continue to be the most powerful indicator of future success in our opinion.

AI Leadership: Meta’s AI capabilities and the Llama AI model are driving efficiency and product innovation. In our view, these assets have been under-appreciated by the market while enhancing Meta’s ability to further scale and innovate its leading advertising business…” (Click here to read the full text)

Overall, META ranks 1st on our list of top stocks to watch ahead of May. While we acknowledge the potential of META as an investment, 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 time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. 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 this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

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