Bill Ackman's Strategic AI Investments
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 4 hours ago
0mins
Should l Buy META?
Source: Fool
- Significant AI Investment Returns: Bill Ackman purchased Alphabet stock in 2023, despite market skepticism regarding its position amid the rise of AI chatbots, and his investments have notably outperformed the S&P 500, demonstrating his foresight.
- Reason for Hilton Stock Sale: Ackman initially invested in Hilton in 2018, during which the company's loyalty membership surged from 85 million to 243 million, and its EBITDA increased from $2.1 billion to $3.7 billion over seven years; however, he opted to fully exit after a 350% stock price increase to seek higher return opportunities.
- AI Potential of Meta Platforms: Ackman revealed at the annual shareholder meeting that his latest AI stock purchase is Meta, believing its business model is a clear beneficiary of AI integration, with an expected 20% annualized earnings growth, indicating strong growth prospects.
- Advertising Revenue Growth: Meta's ad impressions rose by 18% in Q4, with average ad pricing increasing by 6%, thanks to its AI recommendation algorithms; Ackman sees this as a significant opportunity for expanding the advertising customer base, despite projected capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion.
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Analyst Views on META
Wall Street analysts forecast META stock price to rise
44 Analyst Rating
37 Buy
6 Hold
1 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 649.810
Low
655.15
Averages
824.71
High
1117
Current: 649.810
Low
655.15
Averages
824.71
High
1117
About META
Meta Platforms, Inc. is building human connections, powered by artificial intelligence and immersive technologies. The Company's products enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) headsets, augmented reality (AR), and wearables. It also helps people discover and learn about what is going on in the world around them, enabling people to share their experiences, ideas, photos, videos, and other content with audiences ranging from their closest family members and friends to the public at large. The Company's segments include Family of Apps (FoA) and Reality Labs (RL). FoA segment includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads. RL segment includes its virtual, augmented, and mixed reality related consumer hardware, software and content. Its product offerings in VR include its Meta Quest devices, as well as software and content available through the Meta Horizon Store.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Meta Plans $10B Data Center in Indiana to Boost AI Infrastructure
- Infrastructure Investment: Meta Platforms is planning a $10 billion data center in Indiana to support its expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure, expected to be operational in the coming years, thereby enhancing its competitive edge in the AI sector.
- AI Strategy Shift: The company is shifting its AI approach from open-source models to more closed systems, aimed at supporting future AI products and services, which could impact interactions among users, partners, and regulators.
- Stock Performance: Meta's stock is currently trading at approximately $639.77, with a 272.7% gain over the past three years and a 147.5% gain over five years, despite a 12.9% decline over the past year; this infrastructure investment may lay the groundwork for future growth.
- Increased Capital Needs: The Indiana data center and the shift towards closed-source AI underline the higher capital requirements associated with future AI products and services, prompting investors to monitor the returns on these investments and their impact on Meta's 26.8x P/E ratio.
See More
Sen. Warren Criticizes Tesla for Zero Federal Taxes
- Tax Controversy: Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized Tesla for not paying any federal income taxes in 2025, questioning the fairness of such practices and highlighting public concerns over corporate tax transparency.
- Tax Breaks: A report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy revealed that Tesla received over $1.1 billion in federal tax breaks last year, indicating the company's advantageous position within tax policy frameworks.
- Financial Data: While Tesla paid over $28 million in cash taxes to the government in 2025, it only contributed $48 million in current income taxes on $12.58 billion of U.S. income over the past three years, raising further questions about its tax strategies.
- Market Reaction: Despite Warren's criticisms, Tesla's stock gained 0.09% to close at $417.44 on February 13, reflecting market recognition of its favorable long-term price trend, although tax issues may impact investor confidence.
See More
Meta Halts Chatbot Release Due to High Failure Rates
- Internal Testing Results: Meta's internal tests revealed a staggering 66.8% failure rate in blocking harmful content involving minors, prompting the company to halt the chatbot's release to ensure user safety.
- Legal Action Impact: The lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez highlighted the AI system's poor performance in handling child sexual exploitation scenarios, underscoring significant AI safety concerns.
- Meta's Response: Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated that the decision to not launch the product was due to the concerns raised during internal testing, emphasizing the importance of product testing before release.
- Market Reaction: Meta's shares fell by 1.55% to $639.77 on Friday, reflecting market concerns over the safety of its AI products, with a weak Momentum ranking indicating diminished investor confidence in the short term.
See More
Bill Ackman's Strategic AI Investments
- Significant AI Investment Returns: Bill Ackman purchased Alphabet stock in 2023, despite market skepticism regarding its position amid the rise of AI chatbots, and his investments have notably outperformed the S&P 500, demonstrating his foresight.
- Reason for Hilton Stock Sale: Ackman initially invested in Hilton in 2018, during which the company's loyalty membership surged from 85 million to 243 million, and its EBITDA increased from $2.1 billion to $3.7 billion over seven years; however, he opted to fully exit after a 350% stock price increase to seek higher return opportunities.
- AI Potential of Meta Platforms: Ackman revealed at the annual shareholder meeting that his latest AI stock purchase is Meta, believing its business model is a clear beneficiary of AI integration, with an expected 20% annualized earnings growth, indicating strong growth prospects.
- Advertising Revenue Growth: Meta's ad impressions rose by 18% in Q4, with average ad pricing increasing by 6%, thanks to its AI recommendation algorithms; Ackman sees this as a significant opportunity for expanding the advertising customer base, despite projected capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion.
See More
Broadcom Could Emerge as New AI Giant
- Significant AI Growth: Broadcom's AI semiconductor revenue surged 74% year-over-year in the latest quarter, with projections indicating it will reach $8.2 billion in Q1, showcasing strong market demand and growth potential.
- Record Backlog: The backlog for Broadcom's AI switches has exceeded $10 billion, reflecting the company's critical role in AI data center buildouts and strong market confidence.
- Product Differentiation: Broadcom has launched the industry's first Wi-Fi 8 access point and switch system, aimed at enhancing security and speed for enterprises using AI, thereby further solidifying its market position.
- Competitive Strategy: Broadcom's custom XPUs complement Nvidia and AMD's general-purpose GPUs, allowing the company to grow rapidly in specific niches while avoiding the pressures of direct competition.
See More
Billionaire Ackman Bullish on Meta's Future
- New Investment Direction: Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management has recently increased its stake in Meta Platforms, now accounting for 10% of its capital, reflecting strong confidence in the company's leadership in the digital advertising space.
- User Base Growth: Meta's daily active users have reached 3.5 billion, a 7% year-over-year increase, providing robust growth potential for advertising revenue and further solidifying its market position.
- Revenue Growth Potential: Meta's revenue grew by 22% in 2025, demonstrating its diversified revenue streams and strong management team, particularly in ongoing innovations in social media and Reality Labs.
- Attractive Stock Valuation: Ackman noted that Meta's price-to-earnings ratio has dropped from 21.2 to 18.2, indicating the stock is undervalued; despite market disappointment over its planned $165 billion capital expenditure for 2026, the future growth opportunities remain compelling.
See More
Meta Plans $10B Data Center in Indiana to Boost AI Infrastructure
- Infrastructure Investment: Meta Platforms is planning a $10 billion data center in Indiana to support its expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure, expected to be operational in the coming years, thereby enhancing its competitive edge in the AI sector.
- AI Strategy Shift: The company is shifting its AI approach from open-source models to more closed systems, aimed at supporting future AI products and services, which could impact interactions among users, partners, and regulators.
- Stock Performance: Meta's stock is currently trading at approximately $639.77, with a 272.7% gain over the past three years and a 147.5% gain over five years, despite a 12.9% decline over the past year; this infrastructure investment may lay the groundwork for future growth.
- Increased Capital Needs: The Indiana data center and the shift towards closed-source AI underline the higher capital requirements associated with future AI products and services, prompting investors to monitor the returns on these investments and their impact on Meta's 26.8x P/E ratio.
See More
Sen. Warren Criticizes Tesla for Zero Federal Taxes
- Tax Controversy: Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized Tesla for not paying any federal income taxes in 2025, questioning the fairness of such practices and highlighting public concerns over corporate tax transparency.
- Tax Breaks: A report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy revealed that Tesla received over $1.1 billion in federal tax breaks last year, indicating the company's advantageous position within tax policy frameworks.
- Financial Data: While Tesla paid over $28 million in cash taxes to the government in 2025, it only contributed $48 million in current income taxes on $12.58 billion of U.S. income over the past three years, raising further questions about its tax strategies.
- Market Reaction: Despite Warren's criticisms, Tesla's stock gained 0.09% to close at $417.44 on February 13, reflecting market recognition of its favorable long-term price trend, although tax issues may impact investor confidence.
See More
Meta Halts Chatbot Release Due to High Failure Rates
- Internal Testing Results: Meta's internal tests revealed a staggering 66.8% failure rate in blocking harmful content involving minors, prompting the company to halt the chatbot's release to ensure user safety.
- Legal Action Impact: The lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez highlighted the AI system's poor performance in handling child sexual exploitation scenarios, underscoring significant AI safety concerns.
- Meta's Response: Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated that the decision to not launch the product was due to the concerns raised during internal testing, emphasizing the importance of product testing before release.
- Market Reaction: Meta's shares fell by 1.55% to $639.77 on Friday, reflecting market concerns over the safety of its AI products, with a weak Momentum ranking indicating diminished investor confidence in the short term.
See More
Bill Ackman's Strategic AI Investments
- Significant AI Investment Returns: Bill Ackman purchased Alphabet stock in 2023, despite market skepticism regarding its position amid the rise of AI chatbots, and his investments have notably outperformed the S&P 500, demonstrating his foresight.
- Reason for Hilton Stock Sale: Ackman initially invested in Hilton in 2018, during which the company's loyalty membership surged from 85 million to 243 million, and its EBITDA increased from $2.1 billion to $3.7 billion over seven years; however, he opted to fully exit after a 350% stock price increase to seek higher return opportunities.
- AI Potential of Meta Platforms: Ackman revealed at the annual shareholder meeting that his latest AI stock purchase is Meta, believing its business model is a clear beneficiary of AI integration, with an expected 20% annualized earnings growth, indicating strong growth prospects.
- Advertising Revenue Growth: Meta's ad impressions rose by 18% in Q4, with average ad pricing increasing by 6%, thanks to its AI recommendation algorithms; Ackman sees this as a significant opportunity for expanding the advertising customer base, despite projected capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion.
See More
Broadcom Could Emerge as New AI Giant
- Significant AI Growth: Broadcom's AI semiconductor revenue surged 74% year-over-year in the latest quarter, with projections indicating it will reach $8.2 billion in Q1, showcasing strong market demand and growth potential.
- Record Backlog: The backlog for Broadcom's AI switches has exceeded $10 billion, reflecting the company's critical role in AI data center buildouts and strong market confidence.
- Product Differentiation: Broadcom has launched the industry's first Wi-Fi 8 access point and switch system, aimed at enhancing security and speed for enterprises using AI, thereby further solidifying its market position.
- Competitive Strategy: Broadcom's custom XPUs complement Nvidia and AMD's general-purpose GPUs, allowing the company to grow rapidly in specific niches while avoiding the pressures of direct competition.
See More
Billionaire Ackman Bullish on Meta's Future
- New Investment Direction: Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management has recently increased its stake in Meta Platforms, now accounting for 10% of its capital, reflecting strong confidence in the company's leadership in the digital advertising space.
- User Base Growth: Meta's daily active users have reached 3.5 billion, a 7% year-over-year increase, providing robust growth potential for advertising revenue and further solidifying its market position.
- Revenue Growth Potential: Meta's revenue grew by 22% in 2025, demonstrating its diversified revenue streams and strong management team, particularly in ongoing innovations in social media and Reality Labs.
- Attractive Stock Valuation: Ackman noted that Meta's price-to-earnings ratio has dropped from 21.2 to 18.2, indicating the stock is undervalued; despite market disappointment over its planned $165 billion capital expenditure for 2026, the future growth opportunities remain compelling.
See More
