Understanding Asset Value

Report Generated
2026-02-04 15:51:28
META
Meta Platforms, Inc.
$669.66
Price from Yahoo Finance
Today: -3.19% | YTD: +3.0%

How Meta Platforms, Inc. Makes Money

Revenue by segment flowing through costs to profit (FY2024) | Source: Meta 2024 10-K Filing

Revenue
$201.0B
Gross Profit
$164.8B
82% margin
Operating Income
$83.3B
41% margin
Net Income
$60.5B
30% margin

Revenue & Profit by Segment

FY2024 data from Meta 2024 10-K Filing

Segment What They Sell Revenue % of Total Op. Income Margin
Family of Apps (FB/IG/WhatsApp) N/A $133.0B
98%
$55.0B 41%
Reality Labs (VR/AR) N/A $2.2B
2%
$-16.0B -727%

Current Price

Price $669.66
52-Week High $796.25
52-Week Low $479.80

Market Data

Market Cap $1693.76B
Shares Outstanding 2.19B
Beta 1.28

Valuation Ratios

P/E (TTM) 28.47x
P/E (Forward) 18.89x
EV/EBITDA 17.21x

Financial Health

Profit Margin 30.1%
ROE 30.2%
Revenue Growth 23.8%

Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) - Cash That Can't Lie

$23.43B 1.38% Yield
$115.80B OCF - $69.69B CapEx - $26.25B Buybacks - $1.16B Interest = $23.43B

Source: Cash Flow Statement | LFCF = Operating Cash Flow - CapEx - Interest Expense

BUY

Fair Value: $1247.98

+86.4% Upside

Stock appears undervalued with 86.4% upside to fair value. High confidence based on valuation spread and data quality.

Investment Verdict

Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) currently trades at $669.66, representing a 86.4% discount to our calculated fair value of $1247.98.

Key Strengths: Strong balance sheet (Net Debt/EBITDA: 0.0x); Strong interest coverage (71.5x); High profit margins (30.1%).

Key Risks: No significant concerns identified.

The company generates $23.43B in levered free cash flow annually, providing real cash returns to shareholders. Wall Street consensus is strong_buy with a mean price target of $859.85.

Business Simplicity Filter

CriterionStatusNotes
≤4 operating segments PASS Segment count estimated from sector classification. Verify in 10-K for accuracy.
Top 2 segments ≥70% of revenue PASS Revenue concentration estimated. Verify segment breakdown in 10-K.
≤3 material geographic regions PASS Most US-listed companies report US vs International (2 regions).
No exotic debt instruments or off-balance-sheet complexity PASS Review 10-K for convertibles, derivatives, and off-balance-sheet items.

Recommendation: PROCEED TO VALUATION

Company Profile

Employees 78,865
Country United States

Meta Platforms, Inc. engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality (VR) headsets, and AI glasses in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Family of Apps (FoA) and Reality Labs (RL). The FoA segment offers Facebook, which enables people to build community through feed, reels, stories, groups, marketplace, and other; Instagram that brings people closer through Instagram feed, stories, reels, live, and messaging; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; Meta AI, an assistant that's available across apps, as a stand-alone app, on AI glasses, and on the web; Threads, an application for text-based updates and public conversations; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact in a private way. The RL segment provides virtual and augmented reality products, including consumer hardware, software, and content that help people feel connected anytime and anywhere, as well as Meta Quest devices that enable social experiences across gaming, fitness, entertainment, and more. The segment also includes wearables such as AI glasses like Ray Ban Meta and Oakley Meta glasses, featuring Meta AI for advanced conversational and hands free interaction; and the Meta Ray Ban Display, which combines AI glasses with an integrated lens display and the Meta Neural Band, a wrist worn device using electromyography that lets people control their AI glasses through neuromuscular signals. The company was formerly known as Facebook, Inc. and changed its name to Meta Platforms, Inc. in October 2021. The company was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

Enterprise Value Calculation

Market Capitalization $1693.76B
(+) Total Debt $85.08B
(-) Cash & Equivalents $81.59B
Net Debt $3.49B
Enterprise Value $1697.25B
EV = Market Cap + Total Debt - Cash = $1693.76B + $85.08B - $81.59B = $1697.25B

Leverage & Solvency

MetricValueWhat It Means
Net Debt / EBITDA 0.03x Very Strong
Interest Coverage 71.5x Excellent
Debt / Equity 39.2% Moderate
Current Ratio 2.60 Healthy - can easily pay short-term bills

Overall: Balance sheet is strong with conservative leverage.

Peer Comparison

Industry: Internet Content & Information | Data: TTM (Trailing 12 Months) as of 2026-02-04 | Source: Yahoo Finance

CompanyMarket CapP/EForward P/EEV/EBITDAProfit Margin
GOOGL $4034.3B 32.9x 29.6x 27.9x 32.2%
META (Target) $1694.2B 28.5x 18.9x 17.2x 30.1%
PINS $13.6B 7.0x 10.6x 37.9x 49.0%
TTD $13.4B 31.1x 13.1x 19.5x 15.7%
SNAP $10.2B 0.0x 12.1x -25.8x -8.6%
Peer Average (excl. target) - 32.0x 12.1x 27.9x 32.2%

Intrinsic Value Calculation

MethodInputsFair Value
Equity (TTM EPS) EPS: $23.52 x 35.2x P/E $827.90
Equity (Forward EPS) EPS: $35.45 x 35.2x P/E $1247.98
EV-Based (EBITDA) EBITDA: $101.89B x 30.6x $1423.94
Headline Fair Value Median value used (spread 51.1% exceeds 15% threshold) $1247.98
Fair Multiples Basis: Fair P/E of 35.2x and EV/EBITDA of 30.6x. Multiples adjusted for strong profitability.

Sensitivity Analysis

P/E Multiple Sensitivity (using TTM EPS)

Low (33x)
Base (35x)
High (37x)
$780.86
$827.90
$874.94

EV/EBITDA Multiple Sensitivity

Low (30x)
Base (31x)
High (32x)
$1377.35
$1423.94
$1470.52

Red / Green Dashboard

Green Factors (Positive)

  • Strong balance sheet (Net Debt/EBITDA: 0.0x)
  • Strong interest coverage (71.5x)
  • High profit margins (30.1%)
  • Strong revenue growth (23.8%)
  • Low short interest
  • Active share buyback program
  • Dividend yield: 30.00%

Red Factors (Concerns)

  • No significant concerns identified

Assessment: Strong positive profile with multiple favorable factors.

Seasoned Analyst Perspective

Valuation Context

META trades at 28.5x TTM P/E and 18.9x Forward P/E. This compares to peer averages of 32.0x TTM and 12.1x Forward P/E.

Cash Flow Quality

The company generates positive levered free cash flow of $23.43B, demonstrating its ability to generate real cash after all obligations.

Analyst Consensus

59 analysts cover this stock with a consensus strong_buy rating. Price targets range from $700 to $1144, with a mean of $860.

Market Sentiment Indicators

VIX
VIX (Fear Index)

18.83 - Neutral/Low Fear

Neutral/Low Fear
F&G
CNN Fear & Greed Index

Score: 42/100

Fear
SKEW
CBOE SKEW Index (Tail Risk)

143.85

Elevated Tail Risk Concerns
MKT
Market Breadth

SPY YTD: 15.5% | RSP YTD: 13.1%

Healthy Breadth

Supply Chain Analysis

No customer/supplier data available for this company. Data is curated from SEC 10-K filings for major tech companies.

Earnings Surprise History (Last 8 Quarters)

Track Record: 7 beats, 1 misses, 0 in-line out of 8 quarters | 88% Beat Rate

DateEPS EstimateEPS ActualResultSurprise %
2026-01-28 $8.22 $8.88 BEAT 8.0%
2025-10-29 $6.71 $1.05 MISS -84.3%
2025-07-30 $5.86 $7.14 BEAT 21.8%
2025-04-30 $5.21 $6.43 BEAT 23.5%
2025-01-29 $6.74 $8.02 BEAT 19.0%
2024-10-30 $5.30 $6.03 BEAT 13.9%
2024-07-31 $4.76 $5.16 BEAT 8.4%
2024-04-24 $4.32 $4.71 BEAT 8.9%
Average Earnings Surprise: 2.4% (Company tends to beat estimates)

Analyst Data

Price Targets

High Target $1144.00
Mean Target $859.85
Low Target $700.00

Consensus

Recommendation strong_buy
# of Analysts 59

Data Sources & Citations

All financial data sourced from:

Click any blue number throughout the report to view its source.

Disclaimer

This analysis is generated automatically using publicly available data and should not be considered as financial advice. All figures are sourced from Yahoo Finance and may contain inaccuracies. Always verify data with primary sources (SEC filings, company IR) before making investment decisions.

Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.

Why Levered Free Cash Flow Matters

Levered FCF is cash that can't be faked. Unlike earnings which can be manipulated through accounting (depreciation schedules, revenue recognition, etc.), cash flow is simple: the money is either in the bank or it's not.

This metric shows how much actual cash the company generates after paying for:

A company with strong Levered FCF can pay dividends, buy back shares, pay down debt, or invest in growth - all from real cash, not accounting profits.

Why Customer & Supplier Earnings Matter

Customers and suppliers report earnings BEFORE the company you're analyzing. Their results give you early signals about demand and supply chain health.

Customer Example: If Microsoft (AMD customer) beats revenue estimates by 20%, it likely means they bought more chips than analysts expected. This is bullish for AMD's upcoming earnings.

Supplier Example: If TSMC (AMD supplier) reports strong demand from AMD, that confirms AMD's production is ramping up.

By the time AMD reports, you already have data points from 5+ related companies. Smart analysts piece these together to predict earnings before they're announced.

Why Segment Breakdown Matters

Not all revenue is equal. Different business segments have different growth rates and profit margins.

For example, AMD's Data Center segment has ~40% margins while Gaming might be ~15%. A shift toward Data Center means higher overall profitability even if total revenue stays flat.

Watch for: