What Makes Meta Platforms (META) A Strong Momentum Stock: Buy Now?

Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the 'long' context, investors will essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.

Even though momentum is a popular stock characteristic, it can be tough to define. Debate surrounding which are the best and worst metrics to focus on is lengthy, but the Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.

Below, we take a look at Meta Platforms META, which currently has a Momentum Style Score of A. We also discuss some of the main drivers of the Momentum Style Score, like price change and earnings estimate revisions.

It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Meta Platforms currently has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B outperform the market over the following one-month period.

Set to Beat the Market?

In order to see if META is a promising momentum pick, let's examine some Momentum Style elements to see if this social media company holds up.

Looking at a stock's short-term price activity is a great way to gauge if it has momentum since this can reflect both the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand at the moment. It's also helpful to compare a security to its industry; this can show investors the best companies in a particular area.

For META, shares are up 1.96% over the past week while the Zacks Internet - Software industry is down 2.15% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 13.23% compares favorably with the industry's 1.51% performance as well.

Considering longer-term price metrics, like performance over the last three months or year, can be advantageous as well. Shares of Meta Platforms have increased 58.92% over the past quarter, and have gained 5.38% in the last year. On the other hand, the S&P 500 has only moved 3.88% and -4.3%, respectively.

Investors should also take note of META's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above-average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock with above-average volume is typically bearish. Right now, META is averaging 21,315,492 shares for the last 20 days.

Earnings Outlook

The Zacks Momentum Style Score also takes into account trends in estimate revisions, in addition to price changes. Please note that estimate revision trends remain at the core of Zacks Rank as well. A nice path here can help show promise, and we have recently been seeing that with META.

Over the past two months, 14 earnings estimates moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost META's consensus estimate, increasing from $9.28 to $10.26 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 14 estimates have moved upward while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period.

Bottom Line

Taking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that META is a #1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of A. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near term, make sure to keep Meta Platforms on your shortlist.

Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash