Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Earns Buy Rating from TD Cowen

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Oct 8th, 2026

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities researchers at TD Cowen in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $865.00 target price on the social networking company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 20.37% from the company’s previous close.

META has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $796.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. New Street Research reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $791.86.

View Our Latest Research Report on Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:META traded down $2.70 on Thursday, hitting $718.61. 9,127,288 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,437,791. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82. The company has a market cap of $1.83 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.04, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $634.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $618.50.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Artemis Investment Management LLP lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 329.6% in the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 192,252 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $139,417,000 after buying an additional 147,497 shares in the last quarter. Dickmeyer Boyce Financial Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dickmeyer Boyce Financial Management Inc. now owns 897 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $651,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,405 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,745 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $10,693,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Titleist Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 11,609 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $8,419,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:

Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains strong: TD Cowen reaffirmed its “Buy” rating and set an $865 price target, implying substantial upside from recent levels. A broader analyst survey also shows a “Moderate Buy” consensus. Benzinga analyst rating report
Positive Sentiment: Muse is gaining distribution: Meta’s Muse AI assistant launched on iPad shortly after its mobile debut and has topped app-download charts. The traction could strengthen Meta’s consumer AI strategy, although investors still need evidence that usage will become habitual and economically valuable. Meta’s Muse launches on iPad
Positive Sentiment: AI ecosystem opportunities are expanding: Meta is working with Sierra, Shopify, Stripe, Walmart and others on an open protocol allowing AI agents to interact with businesses. The initiative could support future commerce and advertising use cases. Meta and Sierra AI agent protocol
Neutral Sentiment: Executive stock sales were planned: COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transactions reduce his holdings but do not necessarily signal a change in management’s outlook.
Neutral Sentiment: Manus raises independent capital: The AI startup’s parent raised more than $500 million after Meta abandoned its proposed acquisition. The funding validates Manus but also highlights that Meta no longer owns the potential asset. Manus raises more than $500 million after Meta exit
Negative Sentiment: Florida is escalating youth-safety litigation: The state’s attorney general is seeking restrictions that could disable or limit infinite-scroll features for users under 14. Such restrictions could reduce engagement, advertising inventory and product flexibility if adopted more broadly. Florida seeks limits on Meta’s teen features
Negative Sentiment: AI spending is raising cash-flow concerns: Meta is doubling down on data centers and AI infrastructure, but unlike cloud providers it primarily expects returns through its own apps rather than external cloud revenue. Investors are therefore focused on whether the spending will produce measurable advertising, engagement or AI monetization gains. Meta AI infrastructure cash-flow analysis

About Meta Platforms

(Get Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.