Piper Sandler Reiterates Overweight on META, Names It Top Large-Cap Pick

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is one of the AI Stocks in the Spotlight for Investors. On December 11, Piper Sandler analyst Thomas Champion reiterated an Overweight rating on the stock with an $840.00 price target. The firm has tagged Meta as its Top Large Cap Pick, driven by ad market tailwinds and undervalued fundamentals.

Meta shares have delivered mid-single-digit gains over the past year, even though multiples have compressed by an estimated 10%, the firm noted. Their Ad buyer survey have further pointed to accelerating market growth heading into 2026.

This setup is particularly favorable for Meta due to its “evergreen” position in Social where it plays a dominant role in social media advertising. As a result, Piper Sandler anticipates META to benefit from an estimated 20% growth year-over-year in 2026.

“We’re buyers here with near-peak Opex/Capex concern, which is overstated in our view.”

Analysts at the firm have also pushed back on concerns that Meta’s operating and capital expenditures are nearing peak levels.

Meta Platforms has been expanding its advertising capabilities and also invests heavily in artificial intelligence and the metaverse.

While we acknowledge the risk and potential of META as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than META and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

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