📉 Priced For Perfection - That's So Meta
Last week, one of the largest single value destruction events occurred in market history. Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook, reported their 4th quarter earnings, and while the results were strong, the company issued forward guidance below Wall Street analyst estimates. This caused the stock price to fall 26% in a single day, eliminating ~$250B of the company's market value—an astronomical amount for one of the largest companies in the world. As a result, many investors might be asking why, or even how, did this happen?
We discuss in this episode of The Wealth Effect Podcast:
📉 Meta's stock plunge
📈 FAANG stock performance
📊 Stock market concentration
Matt Faubion, CFP®
Founder - Wealth Manager
Show notes and charts:
1) Meta Platforms - Priced For Perfection
Meta Last Six Months Stock Price
In the case of Meta, as an investment, it appears to have been priced for perfection before its earnings announcement. Evidence for this can be found by understanding that its forward revenue guidance for 2022 of $27B-$29B, which misses consensus analyst estimates of $30.27B, caused the company to lose a quarter of its value overnight. Investors had been expecting the company to continue experiencing its stellar, if not perfect, performance from '20 & '21 into '22 - and it appears that that will not be the case. The company is still a good company, most companies would love to have Meta's growth prospects, but the investment at its previous price was clearly not, at least for now.
2) FAANG Stock Performance
Meta (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Netflix (NFLX), and Alphabet (GOOG)
Further, because companies like Meta (FAANG Stocks) have done so well over the last decade, the index has become ever-more concentrated in a handful of stocks. As I write this, the top 10 holdings by weight in the index now represent ~30% of the S&P 500. Compare this to 2010, when the top 10 holdings only represented ~19% of the index. Because of the market cap-weighted dynamic of the market, it is a common phenomenon for high concentration in a few stocks in the latter stages of bull markets to occur. In fact, per exhibit 3 in the article linked above, the last time the S&P 500 became so concentrated was in 2000, when the top ten holdings represented ~26% of the market. And that is precisely what has been happening over the last handful of years.
3) S&P 500 Weighting Concentration
Weightings of the Top 10 Holdings
So why is this important? Many investors hold concentrated equity positions in their portfolios and on their balance sheets through their company's equity compensation. And through this, many have experienced out-sized returns, which can naturally cause an emotional attachment to the investment. This dynamic can blind one from making the proper investment decisions to protect and compound one's wealth through disciplined divestment and diversification. As a result, these positions become larger as a percentage of one's net-worth and expose them to even more idiosyncratic single-stock risk. Not only is this occurring on individual balance sheets, but it has also been developing at the broad market index level as well, which compounds the risks.
The Bottom Line: Meta is a case study in risk management of a security that had been priced for perfection. As investors, we must understand that past performance is no guarantee of future returns. To properly risk manage one's portfolio requires decoupling any emotional attachment to an investment in the pursuit of successfully protecting and compounding wealth over the long term.
This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security.