Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reiterated by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $920.00 price objective on the social networking company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 32.52% from the stock’s current price.
Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Citizens Jmp lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $600.00 price target (down from $700.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Evercore lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, China Renaissance reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $811.24.
View Our Latest Analysis on META
Meta Platforms Price Performance
Meta Platforms stock opened at $694.25 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.77 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.15, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $659.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $628.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. Meta Platforms’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Meta Platforms will post 27.95 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity
In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total transaction of $688,782.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 6,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,047,189.20. This trade represents a 12.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through 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 the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents 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. Insiders sold a total of 148,331 shares of company stock valued at $101,233,569 in the last ninety days. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms
Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $69,502,379,000 after buying an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 723.1% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $4,957,946,000 after purchasing an additional 7,732,446 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,948,486,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 488.1% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,466,595 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,608,445,000 after acquiring an additional 4,537,076 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $51,841,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Meta Platforms News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Advertising and AI monetization remain the bullish case. Analysts expect third-quarter revenue of approximately $63.42 billion, up nearly 24% year over year, supported by higher ad revenue, user engagement and improving monetization across Meta’s apps. Muse, Meta’s AI assistant, reportedly reached 10.9 million U.S. downloads in its first 40 days, creating a potential new advertising and commerce channel across the company’s large user base. Will Higher Ad Revenues Aid Meta Platforms Stock in Q3 Earnings?
- Positive Sentiment: Some analysts see substantial upside. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed its Buy rating and set an $886 price target, implying considerable appreciation from the referenced price. A hedge-fund purchase of 192,860 additional shares also provides a modest vote of confidence. Rosenblatt Securities Meta price target
- Positive Sentiment: Broader enthusiasm for AI following strong SpaceX-related developments could improve sentiment toward Meta if its results demonstrate that AI investments are translating into engagement, revenue or a credible path to monetization. SpaceX Saves the AI Trade, Meta Can Reignite It
- Neutral Sentiment: Wednesday’s earnings are the immediate catalyst. Wall Street is focused on revenue growth, capital expenditures, free cash flow, operating margins and management’s outlook. The stock could see a sizable move depending on whether results validate aggressive long-term targets. Meta earnings may trigger a reality check
- Negative Sentiment: AI spending and cash burn are the main overhangs. Analysts forecast roughly $41.68 billion in capital expenditures and an $8.52 billion free-cash-flow outflow. Investors want proof that Meta’s advertising engine can fund the buildout without pressuring margins, requiring external financing or diluting shareholders.
- Negative Sentiment: Prediction-market odds that Meta will launch Muse-powered AI glasses before year-end have fallen to about 21%, reducing expectations for a near-term hardware catalyst. Meta Muse AI glasses prediction market
- Negative Sentiment: TikTok is redirecting advertising to YouTube, Pinterest and mobile-app networks after Meta restricted TikTok’s access to its advertising platform in some markets. The shift may modestly reduce Meta’s ad demand, although it could also limit a competitor’s use of Meta’s ecosystem. TikTok shifts advertising after Meta ban
Meta Platforms Company Profile
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company’s principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.
Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.
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