Meta Platforms (META) Competitors

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations and media sentiment.

Does the media refer more to META or AAPL?

In the previous week, Apple had 73 more articles in the media than Meta Platforms. MarketBeat recorded 212 mentions for Apple and 139 mentions for Meta Platforms. Meta Platforms' average media sentiment score of 1.07 beat Apple's score of 1.05 indicating that Meta Platforms is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Meta Platforms	117 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	10 Neutral mention(s)	6 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Apple	130 Very Positive mention(s)	23 Positive mention(s)	25 Neutral mention(s)	10 Negative mention(s)	2 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is META or AAPL a better dividend stock?

Meta Platforms pays an annual dividend of $2.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Meta Platforms pays out 7.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Apple pays out 15.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Meta Platforms has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years and Apple has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Apple is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of META or AAPL?

79.9% of Meta Platforms shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 67.7% of Apple shares are held by institutional investors. 13.6% of Meta Platforms shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Apple shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, META or AAPL?

Apple has higher revenue and earnings than Meta Platforms. Meta Platforms is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Apple, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Meta Platforms	$164.50B	10.96	$62.36B	$27.62	25.99
Apple	$408.63B	9.37	$93.74B	$6.59	39.16

Is META or AAPL more profitable?

Meta Platforms has a net margin of 39.99% compared to Apple's net margin of 24.30%. Apple's return on equity of 170.91% beat Meta Platforms' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Meta Platforms	39.99%	39.33%	25.83%
Apple	24.30%	170.91%	31.94%

Which has more volatility & risk, META or AAPL?

Meta Platforms has a beta of 1.2, indicating that its share price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Apple has a beta of 1.09, indicating that its share price is 9% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts recommend META or AAPL?

Meta Platforms presently has a consensus price target of $830.61, indicating a potential upside of 15.71%. Apple has a consensus price target of $248.29, indicating a potential downside of 3.79%. Given Meta Platforms' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Meta Platforms is more favorable than Apple.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Meta Platforms	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	39 Buy rating(s)	4 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.98
Apple	2 Sell rating(s)	12 Hold rating(s)	15 Buy rating(s)	4 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.64

Summary

Meta Platforms beats Apple on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.