We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Reddit Stocks To Buy Right Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) stands against the other stocks to buy according to Redditors.

Maintaining balance is essential in the current financial climate as uncertainties loom over both equity and bond markets. Investors are advised to stay informed and seek potential opportunities amid these changes. Recently, discussions have centered around the performance of mega-cap stocks, particularly in a bull market that has seen significant gains. As this bull market approaches its second anniversary, there is optimism regarding the future of AI and its impact on stock performance. Key players in the market are expected to continue driving growth, although at a potentially slower pace than in previous years.

Looking ahead, investors should prepare for a more gradual approach to interest rate cuts and reassess historical expectations regarding market dynamics. The ongoing economic shifts necessitate a diversified investment strategy focused on long-term growth potential, particularly for those new to investing. Emphasizing stocks with solid fundamentals and cash reserves may provide safer opportunities in an evolving landscape. Earlier in October, Malcolm Ethridge, Capital Area Planning Group managing partner, appeared on CNBC to discuss markets, particularly mega-cap stocks. We discussed his opinion in greater detail in our article on the 8 Best Stocks To Buy For Beginners Right Now, here’s an excerpt from it:

“When discussing the resilience of the two-year-old bull market, Ethridge highlighted that rising interest rates were initially expected to negatively impact market performance. However, despite facing historically high rates, the market has thrived. He noted that many leading companies, including some of the MAG7, have substantial cash reserves and are not reliant on borrowing to fund growth. This financial strength allows them to invest in AI technologies without being overly concerned about the Federal Reserve’s policies…

The conversation then shifted to expectations regarding future Fed rate cuts. Ethridge suggested that investors should prepare for a slower pace of rate cuts than previously anticipated. While a 25 basis point cut may occur at the next meeting, he indicated that there could be a prolonged period of stability afterward rather than a rapid series of cuts…”

READ ALSO: 10 Best Pharma Stocks To Buy Right Now and 10 AI News Investors Should Not Miss.

Strategies for Hedging and Investment

On October 30, RBC’s Amy Wu Silverman appeared on CNBC and outlined a strategy for investors to hedge risks in the equity markets, through the use of put options. Amy Wu Silverman thinks that investors have gotten long where they need to, and now they’re hedging positions. She provided insights into the current state of the options market, particularly focusing on mega-cap tech stocks, commonly called the MAG7. Silverman noted a stark contrast between H1 2024 and the current market sentiment in the latter half as the market gears up for significant earnings reports this week. In the earlier months, there was a notable exuberance among investors driven by fear of missing out on AI opportunities. This led to a surge in upside call buying. However, as of now, that trend has diminished, indicating that investors have largely established their positions and are now more focused on hedging their investments rather than aggressively pursuing new upside.

Silverman emphasized that while there is a general sense of bullishness surrounding these mega-cap tech names, many investors are seeking protection for their long positions. This protective stance is particularly relevant in a year where AI advancements have significantly influenced market performance. The conversation also highlighted the term “overhang,” which Silverman identified as her word of the day. This concept reflects the uncertainty surrounding upcoming major events, including earnings reports from megacap tech companies, the US presidential election scheduled for November 5, and Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings. She suggested that this overhang creates a challenging environment for investors as they navigate daily market fluctuations while anticipating future developments.

Silverman pointed out that investors are closely monitoring volatility expectations. A key metric in this regard is the Volatility Risk Premium, which measures how future expectations for volatility compare to actual market movements. Currently, this premium is substantial, indicating that traders expect heightened volatility in response to upcoming data releases and events. There is growing concern among investors about the possibility of not receiving an anticipated Fed rate cut if economic data comes in stronger than expected.

In addition to tech stocks, she discussed the oil market’s volatility amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Silverman noted that there has been an increase in upside hedging related to these geopolitical risks. Investors are trying to determine whether the high volatility risk premium stems from political uncertainties or ongoing geopolitical factors impacting energy markets. To mitigate these risks, she recommended looking at energy proxies such as XOP or XEG in Canada as potential hedges against escalating geopolitical tensions.

Before concluding her remarks, Silverman shared a specific options trading strategy ahead of the election: S&P put spreads for November expiration. This strategy involves purchasing near-the-money put options while selling further out-of-the-money puts. Given the recent rally in the S&P 500 and the multitude of significant events on the horizon, she described this approach as an effective insurance mechanism against potential market downturns while capitalizing on current volatility conditions.

Methodology

We sifted through several threads to compile a list of the top 30 trending stocks. We then selected the 10 stocks that were the most popular among elite hedge funds and that analysts were bullish on. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as of Q2 2024. The hedge fund data was sourced from Insider Monkey’s database which tracks the moves of over 900 elite money managers.

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).

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 219

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), formerly known as Facebook, is a tech company that connects people around the world. It owns popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, where people share photos, videos, and messages. It’s also building the future of social connection through virtual and augmented reality.

In Q3 2024, the company recorded strong growth in its core apps, with over 3.2 billion people using at least one of its services daily. It made a revenue of $40.59 billion in Q3 2024, up 18.87% year-over-year. Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has been leveraging AI to make improvements to its overall business segments.

Meta AI’s AI-driven feed and video recommendations have led to an 8% increase in time spent on Facebook and a 6% increase on Instagram. GenAI tools have empowered over a million advertisers to create over 15 million ads, with businesses experiencing a 7% boost in conversions. Llama, the AI language model, has seen exponential growth in token usage and has been adopted widely across the industry. It recently released Llama 3.2, and Llama 4 is currently under development on a massive scale.

Meta Platforms Inc.’s (NASDAQ:META) strategic investments in AI position the company for long-term growth and profitability. Despite short-term concerns about increased spending, its strong user base, innovative products, and clear monetization strategy make it a compelling investment opportunity.

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

“Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), the world’s largest social network, were up this quarter, due to impressive top-line growth of 22% year-over-year and solid forward guidance. Despite its large scale, Meta continues to outgrow the broader digital advertising industry, with better AI-driven content recommendations increasing engagement in products like Instagram Reels, and AI improving ad targeting and conversion rates. Our industry checks have continued to validate advertiser adoption and satisfaction, with improvements in Reels monetization, as well as strong adoption of Advantage+, Meta’s AI-driven service to allocate advertiser budgets across its content surfaces.

Meta continues to innovate in Gen AI, with a leading AI research lab and the best open-source models to date. We believe CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s open-source approach will encourage a broader developer ecosystem and standardization based on Meta, which will be beneficial for the company even if Meta doesn’t directly monetize model usage over the near term. In a blog this summer, titled “Open Source AI Is the Path Forward,” Zuckerberg laid out his case:…” (Click here to read the full text)

Overall META ranks 3rd on our list of the stocks to buy according to Redditors. As we acknowledge the potential of META as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high 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.