Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $920.00 price target on the social networking company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 24.88% from the stock’s previous close.
A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on META. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 price target (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Arete Research raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Citizens Jmp raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $808.88.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on META
Meta Platforms Stock Down 0.1%
META stock opened at $736.72 on Thursday. Meta Platforms has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50 day moving average of $653.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $625.27.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last released its 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). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 27.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. 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 149,797 shares of company stock worth $102,180,385 in the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of META. TB Alternative Assets Ltd. lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. TB Alternative Assets Ltd. now owns 104,435 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $75,734,000 after acquiring an additional 2,395 shares during the last quarter. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth about $230,000. Michael J. Porro & Co. Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth about $251,000. North Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 2,408 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Paragon Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 41.7% during the 3rd quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,034 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,200,000 after purchasing an additional 893 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark Open model for coding and AI-agent tasks. The model can run locally on high-end Macs through a collaboration with Apple, potentially expanding developer adoption, strengthening Meta’s AI position and creating longer-term monetization opportunities. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model for coding, agentic tasks
- Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $810 target after Meta’s new Muse Wonder models, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850 from $700. Analysts see Meta’s large user base as an advantage in distributing AI products and eventually generating revenue. Meta’s new AI models strengthen Bank of America’s bullish outlook
- Positive Sentiment: Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms is preparing a potentially record Indian IPO, which could highlight the value of Meta’s strategic investment and provide a possible valuation reference. Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms IPO
- Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cut its META price target from $860 to $762 but maintained a Buy rating. The reduced target reflects rising operating expenses and leaves only modest implied upside, contributing to the market’s cautious response. Goldman Sachs lowers expectations for Meta
- Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s planned AI investment—reported at more than $130 billion—could sharply reduce free cash flow, while Reality Labs continues to generate substantial losses. These concerns may pressure valuation if AI monetization does not keep pace with spending.
- Negative Sentiment: Seven Democratic senators are questioning Meta’s claimed $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax, regulatory and reputational risks. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits
- Negative Sentiment: A Brazilian judge ordered Meta to treat runoff candidates equally, adding political and content-moderation pressure. Separately, an investment manager and Meta insiders disclosed share sales, which may add to short-term sentiment concerns, although some insider transactions were made under prearranged trading plans. Brazil judge orders Meta to treat runoff candidates equally
About Meta Platforms
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.
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