** Shares of marketing platform AppLovin APP.O down 4.38% to $436.81 premarket

** Co faces a tougher market as competition for ad dollars from Big Tech and newer advertising platforms intensifies

** J.P. Morgan says "Meta is the only one that we believe has merit, with APP shares likely to remain sensitive to any spikes in Meta spend"

** Co beat Q4 sales estimates on Wednesday, driven by strong demand for its advertising services and AI-powered tools

** APP forecasts Q1 sales between $1.75 bln and $1.78 bln, above estimates of $1.70 bln.

** 26 of 30 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher, 3 "hold" and 1 "sell"; their median PT is $702.5 - data compiled by LSEG

** As of last close, stock down 32.20% YTD

(Reporting by Kanishka Ajmera in Bengaluru)

((mail to: Kanishka.Ajmera@thomsonreuters.com))