Facebook's Biggest Fan: Victor Anthony's Been Bullish Since Day 1, And That's Unlikely To Change

Aegis Capital's Victor Anthony was a guest on CNBC's "Squawk Box" segment on Thursday to offer his expert take on Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB), which celebrates its five-year anniversary as being a public company.

First, Anthony discussed Facebook being slapped with a 110 million euro fine for giving misleading information during a vetting process of its 2014 WhatsApp acquisition.

Anthony was quick to point out that the fine is relatively small, especially compared to Facebook's $32 billion balance sheet. He also doesn't see a scenario where other regulatory bodies will try to "shake down" Facebook for additional fines.

As such, the matter is now resolved, which implies Facebook can shift its focus to begin monetizing the platform. Anthony thinks that although Facebook's management has been resistant to start monetizing the platform now is a good time to take a closer look at a timeline.

A Bull Since Day 1

Anthony pointed out that he has been a bull on Facebook's stock since Day 1, and he even remembers years ago defending the company after a rough start to its IPO where mobile growth remained a big question.

Given the monetization potential across all of Facebook's different platforms, Anthony remains a bull to this day and is unlikely to change his stance over the next five years.

Anthony added that he is still a buyer of Facebook's stock at current levels and has a $165 price target.

Facebook Versus Snap

Anthony acknowledged that the social media space isn't without competition and Facebook's closest competitor as of late has been Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP).

The analyst noted Facebook is offsetting the competitive pressure by creating its own Snap-like features. But that doesn't mean that there is no risk, and Facebook also has to contend with concerning headlines from its live video, including ones that feature violence and other disturbing events.

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