Quick Read
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Oracle (ORCL) shares fell nearly 40% in less than three months after its post-earnings surge.
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Oracle trades at 30.8 times forward P/E after its decline.
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Meta Platforms (META) is down close to 25% as investors question its elevated AI spending levels.
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Though the S&P 500 is still far off from a 10% correction, now down just over 4% from its all-time high, the amplified pain in tech has been notable, with the Nasdaq 100 still down over 7% from its October peak. As the down days hit the Nasdaq 100 harder than the S&P (that’s typical), while also rising less in the recovery days (believe it or not, the Nasdaq 100 actually gained less than the S&P on Friday’s bounce-back day, driven by Fed comments), this latest AI valuation scare might not be over with quite yet.
But that doesn’t mean you should pass up on a chance to make a big swing on the bigger opportunities that fly through your strike zone. In this piece, we’ll look at three great large-cap tech stocks that have already fallen far more than the rest of the market and the Nasdaq 100 and might be spared if they have already “ripped the band-aid off,” so to speak.
Of course, there’s always the possibility that amplified pain begets even more pain. But, for the most part, I view the excess selling as overdone and perhaps opening up a window to buy names at 25-40% off their highs, even for those who think the market pullback has yet to conclude.
Oracle
If you bought up shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) after that unprecedented post-earnings pop, you took a shot right on the chin, with shares now down close to 40% in less than three months. That’s the danger of buying after historic single-day surges, including the ones that the sell-side analysts are in a rush to upgrade and praise.
At this juncture, late buyers might be wondering if it’s a good idea to cut losses before matters get worse, as investors turn against the AI infrastructure play due to its hefty valuation and significant debt load. Undoubtedly, there was no denying the strength in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). It’s emerging as a premier titan in the space, but taking on debt to finance ambitious spending comes with more than its fair share of risks.
While it’s nice to get excited about the new growth trajectory, there will be growing concern once the big tab becomes due. And if there isn’t a good return on investment to show for the debt-driven spend, perhaps there’s greater downside risk than with the tech titans who are swimming in the cash flows. If the debt load wasn’t enough, perhaps the heavy reliance on ChatGPT maker OpenAI is a cause of concern for some.
Undoubtedly, OpenAI is one of the greatest forces in AI, but it’s going through a lot of cash and might not reach profitability as fast as some of its peers (think Anthropic). Putting too many borrowed eggs in one basket might not sit right with many investors. However, an argument could be made that Oracle is putting the right eggs into the best basket right now.
Either way, Oracle looks like a high-risk/high-reward kind of play that’s become somewhat less risky after its spectacular plunge. At 30.8 times forward price-to-earnings (P/E), I think the stock is now in a pretty good spot, especially if Larry Ellison ends up proving the doubters wrong in the next two years or so.
Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) is another fantastic tech darling that’s been clobbered in recent weeks. Like Oracle stock, Meta Platform shares have found themselves in a bear market of their own making, now down close to 25%.
It appears Meta Platforms is spending more on AI than investors would like. And while higher spending used to be a signal of more AI profits to be had, the market now has some doubts, even though Mark Zuckerberg’s ROI batting average has proven phenomenal, and not just when it comes to AI. Though perhaps the metaverse is the exception, at least thus far.
With Zuckerberg swinging for the fences, some caution is warranted, but I also think Meta is a less risky play, given its social media cash cow and how quickly AI monetization might accelerate in the ad business. In essence, I view ads as lower-hanging fruit on the AI tree right now. And it’s this fruit that might be the source of some big profitability surprises in 2026.
Add the potential to use AI to monetize WhatsApp into the equation, and I’m inclined to view Meta Platforms stock as one of the bigger table pounders in big tech right now. At just 20.1 times forward P/E, the multiple is starting to get ridiculous when you consider the sheer AI ambition you’re getting as well as its potential relative “closeness” to serious AI ROIs.
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