3 Metaverse Stocks Building the Virtual Economy
The metaverse is no longer just a sci-fi fantasy; it’s becoming a digital economy of its own. By blending virtual and augmented reality, AI, and blockchain technology, it’s changing the way we interact, work, and even own digital assets.
But the metaverse isn’t just about gaming or social experiences. It’s creating real economic opportunities, from virtual real estate to digital currencies and decentralized finance. In this article, we’ll explore three no-brainer metaverse stocks: Apple Inc. (AAPL), NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA), and Meta Platforms, Inc. (META), which are building the technology and infrastructure to shape this new digital frontier.
Statista states the metaverse market is expected to reach $103.60 billion in 2025. Further, the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 37.4%, resulting in a volume of $507.80 billion by 2030. This potential growth opens the door for substantial long-term returns for companies venturing into this space.
While still in its early stages, the metaverse is already creating real-world opportunities. Businesses are finding new ways to generate revenue in this evolving space, from virtual real estate and NFT-powered economies to AI-driven workplaces and decentralized finance.
With that in mind, let’s examine the fundamentals of the above-mentioned stocks in detail:
Apple Inc. (AAPL)
Tech giant AAPL designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories, and it sells various related services. Its product offerings include iPhone, Mac, AirPods Max, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, HomePod, and accessories. It also provides DarwinAI, which specializes in visual quality inspection through its Explainable AI platform.
On February 24, 2025, AAPL unveiled its biggest-ever investment plan, committing over $500 billion to U.S. spending and development over the next four years. This massive pledge strengthens the company’s long-standing focus on American innovation and high-tech manufacturing, supporting key initiatives in artificial intelligence, silicon engineering, and workforce development.
The investment spans AAPL’s supplier network across all 50 states, as well as direct employment and infrastructure for Apple Intelligence, data centers, corporate facilities, and Apple TV+ productions in 20 states.
Commenting on this, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said, “From doubling our Advanced Manufacturing Fund to building advanced technology in Texas, we’re thrilled to expand our support for American manufacturing. And we’ll keep working with people and companies across this country to help write an extraordinary new chapter in the history of American innovation.”
In terms of the trailing-12-month levered FCF margin, AAPL’s 23.71% is 98.3% higher than the 11.96% industry average. Similarly, its 24.30% trailing-12-month net income margin is considerably higher than the industry average of 4.06%. Also, its trailing-12-month ROCE of 136.52% compares favorably to the industry average of 4.80%.
AAPL’s total net sales for the first quarter (ended December 28, 2024) increased 3.9% year-over-year to $124.30 billion. The company reported a gross margin of $58.28 billion, indicating a 6.2% growth from the prior year quarter. Its operating income grew 6.1% from the year-ago value to $42.83 billion. AAPL’s net income and EPS came in at $36.33 billion and $2.40, up 7.1% and 10.1% year-over-year, respectively.
The consensus revenue estimate of $94.08 billion for the fiscal second quarter (ending March 2025) represents a 3.7% increase year-over-year. The consensus EPS estimate of $1.62 for the ongoing quarter indicates a 5.7% improvement year-over-year. The company has an excellent surprise history; it surpassed the consensus revenue and EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters.
Over the past year, the stock has surged 31.7%, closing the last trading session at $240.36.
AAPL’s stance is apparent in its POWR Ratings. The stock has an A grade for Quality and a B for Momentum. The POWR Ratings are calculated by considering 118 different factors, each weighted to an optimal degree.
Among the 41 stocks in the Technology – Hardware industry, it is ranked #24. Click here to see the additional AAPL ratings (Growth, Value, Stability, and Sentiment).
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA)
NVDA is a global provider of graphics, computation, and networking technologies. The company operates through two segments: Graphics; and Compute & Networking. The company’s products are used in the gaming, professional visualization, data center, and automobile industries.
On January 13, 2025, NVDA announced new partnerships in the $10 trillion healthcare and life sciences sector, leveraging AI to accelerate drug discovery, genomic research, and healthcare services. Companies like IQVIA Holdings Inc. (IQV), Illumina, Inc. (ILMN), and Mayo Clinic are integrating NVDA’s AI tools to enhance clinical trials, digital pathology, and robotic-assisted surgeries, creating a multibillion-dollar AI-driven healthcare opportunity.
In the same month, the company expanded its Omniverse platform to enhance physical AI applications in robotics, autonomous vehicles, and industrial automation. Major firms like Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Accenture plc (ACN), Altair, Ansys, Foretellix, and Cadence are integrating Omniverse to drive the next wave of AI-powered innovations across manufacturing and logistics.
These advancements position NVDA as a leader in AI-driven healthcare and industrial automation, opening new revenue streams and strengthening its foothold in multi-trillion-dollar markets.
NVDA’s trailing-12-month EBIT and net income margins of 62.71% and 55.69% are significantly above the 5.26% and 4.06% industry averages, respectively. Likewise, its trailing-12-month ROCE of 127.21% compares to the industry average of 4.80%.
For the fiscal 2025 third quarter that ended on October 27, 2024, NVDA’s revenue increased 94% year-over-year to $35.08 billion, while its Data Center Group generated $30.80 billion in revenue, resulting in a triple-digit growth of 112% over the same period last year.
Its gross profit stood at $26.16 billion, up 95.2% year-over-year. The company’s operating income surged 110% from the year-ago value to $21.87 billion. In addition, its non-GAAP net income amounted to $20.01 billion or $0.81 per share, compared to $10.02 billion or $0.40 per share in the previous year’s quarter, respectively.
Analysts expect NVDA’s revenues to increase 72.6% year-over-year to $38.16 billion in the fiscal fourth quarter (ended January 2025). Its EPS for the to-be-reported quarter is expected to grow by 63.9% from the previous year to $0.85. Moreover, the company has surpassed the consensus EPS and revenue estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, which is promising.
Shares of NVDA have gained 66.6% over the past year to close the last trading session at $131.28.
NVDA’s POWR Ratings reflect this outlook. It has a B grade for Sentiment and Quality. In the 90-stock Semiconductor & Wireless Chip industry, it is ranked #43. Click here to see the other ratings of NVDA for Growth, Value, Momentum, and Stability.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)
META develops products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments: Family of Apps and Reality Labs.
On February 13, 2025, the company’s board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share of the company’s outstanding Class A common stock and Class B common stock, reflecting an increase of 5% from the previous quarter. This dividend is payable on March 26 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 14, 2025.
The company pays an annual dividend of $2.10, which translates to a 0.32% yield on the prevailing prices, while its four-year average dividend yield is 0.05%.
META’s trailing 12-month EBITDA margin of 50.89% is 173.2% higher than the industry average of 18.63%. Also, its trailing-12-month net income margin, ROCE, and ROTA of 37.91%, 37.14%, and 22.59% compare to the respective industry averages of 3.71%, 5.27%, and 1.75%.
For the fourth quarter that ended December 31, 2024, META’s total revenue increased 20.6% year-over-year to $48.39 billion, while its income from operations grew 42.6% from the year-ago value to $23.37 billion. META’s net income and EPS amounted to $20.84 billion and $8.02, representing increases of 48.7% and 50.5%, respectively, from the prior year’s quarter.
Street expects META’s EPS to increase 10.9% year-over-year in the first quarter (ending March 2025) to $5.22. Its revenue for the current quarter is projected to grow by 13.7% from the prior year to $41.45 billion. Further, META has topped the consensus EPS estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, which is impressive.
The stock has gained 40.9% over the past nine months and 15.1% year-to-date to close the last trading session at $673.70.
It’s no surprise that META has an overall rating of B, equating to a Buy in our POWR Ratings system. It has an A grade for Quality and a B for Sentiment. Out of 50 stocks in the A-rated Internet industry, it is ranked #14.
Beyond what is stated above, we’ve also rated META for Growth, Value, Momentum, and Stability. Get all META ratings here.
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AAPL shares fell $0.06 (-0.02%) in after-hours trading Wednesday. Year-to-date, AAPL has declined -3.91%, versus a 1.44% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.
About the Author: Shweta Kumari
Shweta’s profound interest in financial research and quantitative analysis led her to pursue a career as an investment analyst. She uses her knowledge to help retail investors make educated investment decisions. More…