Meta Platforms (META) shares closed higher on March 31, in tandem with a broader market rally, amid reports that both the U.S. and Iran are now willing to de-escalate military hostilities.

Following the surge, META looks headed to challenge its 20-day moving average (MA) this week. A clear break above the $611 level is expected to accelerate bullish momentum in the near term.

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Year-to-date, META stock remains down about 12%, which, according to options pricing, may be an opportunity for long-term investors to load up on a quality name at a deep discount.

According to Barchart, the put-to-call ratio on options contracts expiring mid-June is pinned at 0.3x currently, indicating a strongly bullish skew.

This means that disciplined investors are positioning for a continued recovery rather than hedging for any further downside in META shares.

In fact, the upper price on those contracts is pegged at $643, signaling this “Magnificent 7” name could rally another 12% within the next three months.

It's also worth mentioning that historically, Meta Platforms rallies over 4% on average in April, a seasonal trend that makes it even more attractive to own in the near term.

Beyond the relief rally, META stock’s fundamental story remains one of the most compelling in Big Tech.

The company is currently trading at a relatively attractive price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of about 18x — a steep discount compared to many of its AI peers.

Plus, the Nasdaq-listed firm is aggressively pivoting toward “personal superintelligence,” with its Ray-Ban smart glasses already capturing more than 76% of that market.

Meanwhile, management is streamlining operations by replacing third-party content moderators with high-efficiency AI systems, which have already shown superior performance in mitigating scams.

With a massive $1.45 trillion market cap and a strategic focus on AI infrastructure and hardware, Wall Street sees META shares as well-positioned to capitalize on the next leg of digital evolution.

The consensus rating on Meta Platforms sits at “Strong Buy” currently, with the mean price target of about $864 indicating potential upside of a whopping 50% from here.

On the date of publication, Wajeeh Khan did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com