Major Averages Rise as Oil Prices Retreat Below $100
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 10 2026
0mins
Should l Buy META?
The major averages were higher near noon as markets are trading with a more constructive tone. Investors are reacting to a reversal in the energy shock that dominated markets earlier in the week. Oil prices, which had surged above $100 and briefly approached $120 per barrel during the escalation of the Iran conflict, are now pulling back after comments from Donald Trump suggesting the military operation could conclude sooner than previously expected.Meanwhile, gold prices continue their surge amid market volatility, as the "safe haven" asset rose nearly 2%. Despite having an up-and-down 2026, the commodity is climbing towards record highs once again.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Nvidiaintends to launch an open-source AI agent platform,BioNTechannounced plans forto be established and led by BioNTech co-founders Prof. Ugur Sahin, M.D., and Prof. Ozlem Tureci, M.D.HP Enterprisereportedand provided guidance for Q1 and FY26Kohl'sreportedbut guided for a decrease in Q1 comp salesVail Resortsreportedand cut its FY26 resort reported EBITDA view2. WALL STREET CALLS:Qualcommat Underperform at BofACrowdStriketo Overweight at Morgan StanleyRivianto Buy at TD Cowen into R2 launchNovo Nordiskto Hold at TD CowenB. RileyStrategywith Buy on "unmatched scale"3. AROUND THE WEB:Exxon Mobilis planning to move its legal home to Texas from New Jersey in a move meant to protect the company from shareholder "abuse," WSJ saysRio Tintois in talks with Mongolia over financial terms at the massive Oyu Tolgoi copper mine, with the government seeking lower loan interest costs and the removal of Rio's annual management fee, WSJ reportsAppleincreased its iPhone production in India by 53% last year and now makes a total of 25% of its devices there, Bloomberg saysAmazon'secommerce business has requested a large group of engineers to meet on Tuesday for a "deep dive" into the influx of outages, with the company stating there has been a "trend of incidents" characterized by a "high blast radius" and "Gen-AI assisted changes," FT reportsA groundstop for all JetBlueflights was canceled within an hour on Tuesday by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, after JetBlue said it resolved a "system outage," Reuters reports4. MOVERS:Zevra Therapeuticsgains after, with EPS and revenue beating consensusCapricorincreases after announcing the establishment of afor dermiocel BLANiohigher in New York afterand providing guidance for Q1Centenefalls afterfor FY26 and announcing its ACA enrollment is "still in line" with expectations"Crispr Therapeuticslower after announcing a5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:ABM, with CEO Scott Salmirs commenting, "ABM is off to a solid start to FY26"Custom Truck One Source, with EPS beating consensusUnited Natural Foodsand provided guidance for FY26UWM Holdingsfor Q1Priority Technologyand provided guidance for FY26INDEXES:Near midday, the Dow was up 0.48%, or 229.12, to 47,969.92, the Nasdaq was up 0.58%, or 131.24, to 22,827.19, and the S&P 500 was up 0.39%, or 26.81, to 6,822.80.
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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: 536.380
Low
655.15
Averages
824.71
High
1117
Current: 536.380
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 Platforms Inc's Intrinsic Value Analysis
- Intrinsic Value Assessment: According to GuruFocus's Discounted Earnings model, Meta Platforms Inc's intrinsic value is estimated at $730.56, while its current trading price is $536.38, indicating a 26.58% margin of safety, suggesting the company is modestly undervalued and may attract investor interest.
- Growth Stage Assumptions: In the growth stage, Meta's earnings per share (EPS) without non-recurring items is set at $23.38, with an expected growth rate of 22.70%, reflecting the company's strong growth potential over the next decade, which could drive stock price appreciation.
- Discount Rate Calculation: GuruFocus employs an 11% discount rate, which includes a 4.33% 10-year Treasury yield and a 6% risk premium; this choice of discount rate is crucial for assessing the present value of future earnings and impacts investor decision-making.
- Traditional Model Comparison: Using the traditional free cash flow model, Meta's intrinsic value is calculated at $560.10, showing a 4.23% margin of safety, indicating that under different valuation methods, Meta's market pricing holds a degree of reasonableness, prompting investors to consider multiple valuation models.
See More
Meta Tests Instagram Plus Subscription Service Offering Exclusive Features
- Subscription Service Testing: Meta is testing a premium subscription service called Instagram Plus on its Instagram app, allowing users to view Stories without notifying the poster, enhancing user privacy and potentially attracting more subscribers.
- New Feature Rollout: The subscription will offer unlimited audience list creation and the ability to see how many times a Story has been viewed, enhancing user engagement and content management capabilities, which may increase user retention.
- Market Testing Regions: The service is currently being tested in Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines, with pricing varying by country, demonstrating Meta's flexible pricing strategy aimed at maximizing user acceptance and market penetration.
- User Base Impact: With approximately 3 billion monthly active users, Instagram may account for about 40% of Meta's total revenue, and if successfully launched, this service could significantly boost the company's revenue and competitive position in the market.
See More
Nvidia's $1 Trillion Backlog Signals Surge in AI Infrastructure Demand
- Staggering Order Volume: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced a staggering $1 trillion order backlog expected by 2027, which not only highlights the immense potential of AI infrastructure demand but also provides the company with multi-year revenue visibility, significantly boosting investor confidence.
- Diverse Clientele: This order volume comes from major hyperscalers, cloud providers, and sovereign governments worldwide, indicating strong demand for Nvidia's GPUs and data center equipment, with deliveries anticipated over the next 12 to 24 months, thereby mitigating revenue risk for the company.
- High Margin Assurance: With these orders locked in at premium pricing, Nvidia's gross margin is expected to remain robust at 71.07%, ensuring not only short-term profitability but also laying a solid foundation for long-term growth.
- Valuation Appeal: Trading at a forward P/E ratio of approximately 22, near its lowest during the AI revolution, Nvidia's $1 trillion backlog suggests that market expectations for future growth may be overly conservative, presenting investors with increased upside opportunities in the early innings of the AI infrastructure era.
See More
Unilever in Talks to Merge with McCormick
- Merger Talks Progress: Unilever has confirmed it is in talks to merge with McCormick, with the deal expected to involve an upfront cash component of approximately $15.7 billion and the majority of consideration in McCormick equity, indicating strong interest in consolidation within the food industry.
- Stock Price Surge: Following the announcement, McCormick's shares rose over 3%, reflecting positive market expectations regarding the potential merger, which could enhance the company's competitive position and resource integration capabilities.
- Rating Upgrade Impact: Deutsche Bank upgraded Diageo from hold to buy, resulting in a nearly 3% stock price increase, as analysts noted that structural and cyclical headwinds in alcohol sales are already priced into the stock, indicating market confidence in its future performance.
- Strong Order Growth: Jefferies upgraded Amphenol from hold to buy, leading to a more than 2% increase in its stock price, with analysts highlighting strong order growth and solid margins, suggesting a positive outlook for the company's performance and growth potential.
See More
Nebius to Establish Major Data Center in Finland
- Data Center Development: Nebius is set to establish a data center in Lappeenranta, Finland, with a capacity of up to 310 MW, expected to start serving customers by 2027, positioning it as one of the largest cloud infrastructures in Europe and solidifying its role in the AI infrastructure market.
- Investment and Partnerships: The company recently secured a $2 billion investment from Nvidia and struck multibillion-dollar cloud service deals with Microsoft and Meta, which not only enhance its market visibility but also provide a solid financial foundation for future expansions.
- Market Reaction: Despite shares of Nebius rising over 2% in early trading, the overall bearish sentiment on Stocktwits persists amid a broader market selloff, indicating cautious investor attitudes towards AI-related trades.
- Company Evolution: Since its emergence in 2024 following the spin-off from Yandex, Nebius has rapidly focused on AI infrastructure, recently acquiring AI search startup Tavily and announcing a significant $24 billion deal with Meta, marking crucial progress towards becoming a key AI hyperscaler in the industry.
See More
The 'Magnificent Seven' Stocks Struggle Amid AI Spending Concerns
- ETF Performance Decline: The Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF has fallen over 9% this year, significantly underperforming the broader market, leading investors to potentially view it as a buying opportunity, though valuation considerations remain critical.
- Surge in Capital Expenditures: The Magnificent Seven are projected to spend nearly $700 billion on capital expenditures in 2025, raising concerns among investors about the ability of these companies to deliver strong returns on such massive investments, which has contributed to declining valuations across the group.
- Lowest Valuation for Meta: Meta Platforms currently trades at less than 20 times forward earnings, with a projected 73% increase in capital expenditures for 2026 aimed at supporting AI infrastructure, although its advertising business could benefit from AI applications.
- Investor Confidence Wavers: Despite Meta's success in advertising revenue, investors are concerned about Zuckerberg's investment strategy in AI, particularly after significant losses in its metaverse division, highlighting the need for disciplined investment approaches.
See More
Meta Platforms Inc's Intrinsic Value Analysis
- Intrinsic Value Assessment: According to GuruFocus's Discounted Earnings model, Meta Platforms Inc's intrinsic value is estimated at $730.56, while its current trading price is $536.38, indicating a 26.58% margin of safety, suggesting the company is modestly undervalued and may attract investor interest.
- Growth Stage Assumptions: In the growth stage, Meta's earnings per share (EPS) without non-recurring items is set at $23.38, with an expected growth rate of 22.70%, reflecting the company's strong growth potential over the next decade, which could drive stock price appreciation.
- Discount Rate Calculation: GuruFocus employs an 11% discount rate, which includes a 4.33% 10-year Treasury yield and a 6% risk premium; this choice of discount rate is crucial for assessing the present value of future earnings and impacts investor decision-making.
- Traditional Model Comparison: Using the traditional free cash flow model, Meta's intrinsic value is calculated at $560.10, showing a 4.23% margin of safety, indicating that under different valuation methods, Meta's market pricing holds a degree of reasonableness, prompting investors to consider multiple valuation models.
See More
Meta Tests Instagram Plus Subscription Service Offering Exclusive Features
- Subscription Service Testing: Meta is testing a premium subscription service called Instagram Plus on its Instagram app, allowing users to view Stories without notifying the poster, enhancing user privacy and potentially attracting more subscribers.
- New Feature Rollout: The subscription will offer unlimited audience list creation and the ability to see how many times a Story has been viewed, enhancing user engagement and content management capabilities, which may increase user retention.
- Market Testing Regions: The service is currently being tested in Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines, with pricing varying by country, demonstrating Meta's flexible pricing strategy aimed at maximizing user acceptance and market penetration.
- User Base Impact: With approximately 3 billion monthly active users, Instagram may account for about 40% of Meta's total revenue, and if successfully launched, this service could significantly boost the company's revenue and competitive position in the market.
See More
Nvidia's $1 Trillion Backlog Signals Surge in AI Infrastructure Demand
- Staggering Order Volume: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced a staggering $1 trillion order backlog expected by 2027, which not only highlights the immense potential of AI infrastructure demand but also provides the company with multi-year revenue visibility, significantly boosting investor confidence.
- Diverse Clientele: This order volume comes from major hyperscalers, cloud providers, and sovereign governments worldwide, indicating strong demand for Nvidia's GPUs and data center equipment, with deliveries anticipated over the next 12 to 24 months, thereby mitigating revenue risk for the company.
- High Margin Assurance: With these orders locked in at premium pricing, Nvidia's gross margin is expected to remain robust at 71.07%, ensuring not only short-term profitability but also laying a solid foundation for long-term growth.
- Valuation Appeal: Trading at a forward P/E ratio of approximately 22, near its lowest during the AI revolution, Nvidia's $1 trillion backlog suggests that market expectations for future growth may be overly conservative, presenting investors with increased upside opportunities in the early innings of the AI infrastructure era.
See More
Unilever in Talks to Merge with McCormick
- Merger Talks Progress: Unilever has confirmed it is in talks to merge with McCormick, with the deal expected to involve an upfront cash component of approximately $15.7 billion and the majority of consideration in McCormick equity, indicating strong interest in consolidation within the food industry.
- Stock Price Surge: Following the announcement, McCormick's shares rose over 3%, reflecting positive market expectations regarding the potential merger, which could enhance the company's competitive position and resource integration capabilities.
- Rating Upgrade Impact: Deutsche Bank upgraded Diageo from hold to buy, resulting in a nearly 3% stock price increase, as analysts noted that structural and cyclical headwinds in alcohol sales are already priced into the stock, indicating market confidence in its future performance.
- Strong Order Growth: Jefferies upgraded Amphenol from hold to buy, leading to a more than 2% increase in its stock price, with analysts highlighting strong order growth and solid margins, suggesting a positive outlook for the company's performance and growth potential.
See More
Nebius to Establish Major Data Center in Finland
- Data Center Development: Nebius is set to establish a data center in Lappeenranta, Finland, with a capacity of up to 310 MW, expected to start serving customers by 2027, positioning it as one of the largest cloud infrastructures in Europe and solidifying its role in the AI infrastructure market.
- Investment and Partnerships: The company recently secured a $2 billion investment from Nvidia and struck multibillion-dollar cloud service deals with Microsoft and Meta, which not only enhance its market visibility but also provide a solid financial foundation for future expansions.
- Market Reaction: Despite shares of Nebius rising over 2% in early trading, the overall bearish sentiment on Stocktwits persists amid a broader market selloff, indicating cautious investor attitudes towards AI-related trades.
- Company Evolution: Since its emergence in 2024 following the spin-off from Yandex, Nebius has rapidly focused on AI infrastructure, recently acquiring AI search startup Tavily and announcing a significant $24 billion deal with Meta, marking crucial progress towards becoming a key AI hyperscaler in the industry.
See More
The 'Magnificent Seven' Stocks Struggle Amid AI Spending Concerns
- ETF Performance Decline: The Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF has fallen over 9% this year, significantly underperforming the broader market, leading investors to potentially view it as a buying opportunity, though valuation considerations remain critical.
- Surge in Capital Expenditures: The Magnificent Seven are projected to spend nearly $700 billion on capital expenditures in 2025, raising concerns among investors about the ability of these companies to deliver strong returns on such massive investments, which has contributed to declining valuations across the group.
- Lowest Valuation for Meta: Meta Platforms currently trades at less than 20 times forward earnings, with a projected 73% increase in capital expenditures for 2026 aimed at supporting AI infrastructure, although its advertising business could benefit from AI applications.
- Investor Confidence Wavers: Despite Meta's success in advertising revenue, investors are concerned about Zuckerberg's investment strategy in AI, particularly after significant losses in its metaverse division, highlighting the need for disciplined investment approaches.
See More
