Meta Platforms’ (META) “Buy” Rating Reaffirmed at TD Cowen

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Oct 8th, 2026

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at TD Cowen in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $865.00 price objective on the social networking company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 21.05% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on META. Roth Capital cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $791.86.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Meta Platforms stock traded down $6.71 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $714.61. 7,934,365 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,432,104. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. Meta Platforms has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $779.82. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $634.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $618.50.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares in the company, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of META. Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its holdings 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 worth $139,417,000 after buying an additional 147,497 shares during the last quarter. Dickmeyer Boyce Financial Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.3% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 12.6% in the third quarter. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,405 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,744,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.2% in the third quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,745 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $10,693,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Titleist Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.2% in the third quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 11,609 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $8,419,000 after buying an additional 573 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Meta Platforms News

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.