Meta stock faces potential EU fines as Cantor Fitzgerald maintains Overweight rating

Published 02/07/2025, 12:44
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Investing.com - Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), with its impressive market capitalization of $1.81 trillion and annual revenue of $170.4 billion, could face daily fines of up to 5% of its daily revenue from the European Commission if its revised payor-consent ad model remains non-compliant with the Digital Markets Act. According to InvestingPro data, Meta maintains strong financial health with more cash than debt on its balance sheet.

The European Commission’s notice, issued last Friday, follows its April 23 ruling that fined Meta EUR 200 million over its original advertising practices. The EC is currently evaluating whether Meta’s updated model, introduced in November 2024, meets DMA standards.

The assessment period began on June 27, and if Meta is found non-compliant, the company might need to implement a more stringent advertising model. Meta’s current less personalized option for EU users targets ads based on what users see in a particular session and limited data points including age, location, and gender.

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Deepak Mathivanan reiterated an Overweight rating on Meta with an $807.00 price target despite these regulatory challenges. The European Union represents approximately 16% of Meta’s revenue.

Cantor Fitzgerald believes Meta should be able to navigate potential changes to its EU advertising model with "relatively minimal disruption" but is monitoring the EU’s guidance on Meta’s current low-targeting model to assess sensitivity.

In other recent news, Meta is seeking to raise $29 billion in private funding to support its artificial intelligence expansion, focusing on building data centers across the United States. This fundraising effort involves discussions with major private credit investors such as Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO) and KKR. The funding structure is expected to include $3 billion in equity and $26 billion in debt. In addition, Meta has introduced new features to its Threads platform, including direct messaging capabilities and a "Threads highlighter" to emphasize trending conversations. The company is also expanding its WhatsApp Business Platform, allowing businesses to manage marketing strategies across Meta’s platforms from a single location. Meanwhile, Surge AI is looking to raise up to $1 billion, aiming for a valuation exceeding $15 billion, as it seeks to capitalize on increased demand amid a customer exodus from competitor Scale AI. Lastly, Chinese shopping site Temu has resumed its advertising campaigns on Meta and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) in the United States after a pause in digital marketing spending.

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