White House Considers Cost Burden on Data Centers
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1 day ago
0mins
Should l Buy META?
Source: CNBC
- Cost Internalization for Data Centers: White House trade advisor Peter Navarro stated that data center builders must absorb costs related to electricity and water usage, highlighting the government's concern over economic pressures that could impact companies like Meta.
- Rising Electricity Prices: With electricity prices spiking 6.9% year-over-year in 2025, public anxiety about the economy is increasing, as Navarro attempts to blame former President Biden, indicating the current administration's challenges in addressing inflation.
- Policy Response Measures: The Trump administration has signed a pact with several states urging major tech companies to finance $15 billion for new power plants to alleviate the strain data centers place on the grid, demonstrating proactive government intervention in energy policy.
- Election Outlook Impact: As the November 2026 midterms approach, polls show Democrats leading by 5.2 points, reflecting voter concerns over economic issues that could affect Trump's and the Republican Party's electoral prospects.
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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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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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