Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target Raised to $820.00

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price target lifted by TD Cowen from $810.00 to $820.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the social networking company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. DA Davidson set a $825.00 target price on Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $875.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $800.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $915.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $822.96.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $620.80 on Tuesday. Meta Platforms has a one year low of $479.80 and a one year high of $796.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.42, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $641.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $701.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 1.98.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.74 by $0.51. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 30.89%.The firm had revenue of $51.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $49.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Meta Platforms will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 9.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total value of $341,860.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 28,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,876,738.02. This trade represents a 1.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $646.00, for a total value of $374,680.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,983,882. This represents a 8.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 40,571 shares of company stock worth $25,137,541 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 608,429.2% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 59,775,823 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $44,119,937,000 after buying an additional 59,766,000 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $23,155,393,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 73,443.1% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,417,003 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,212,506,000 after acquiring an additional 8,405,558 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Meta Platforms by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $64,158,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,191,175,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Big‑tech energy partnerships reduce a major execution risk for Meta’s planned AI/data‑center buildout by securing long‑term baseload power and prepayment support — lowers power/capex uncertainty for Meta Compute. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Additional nuclear supply/partner signals (Terrapower reports) similarly bolster Meta’s ability to scale tens/hundreds of gigawatts for AI compute — a strategic enabler for long‑term AI ambitions. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wikimedia signed deals giving major AI developers access to Wikipedia content (Meta is a partner) — improves training data access and reduces a content‑quality/permission risk for LLM work. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain bullish and have reaffirmed/raised targets (e.g., Rosenblatt), supporting upside expectations if Meta’s AI investments translate into ad or device monetization. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta Compute — Zuckerberg’s large new data‑center initiative — clarifies strategy (control over AI compute) but implies materially higher capex and longer payback; investors will watch execution and FCF impact. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming quarterly results (Q4 & full‑year 2025) are set for Jan. 28 — a near‑term catalyst that could confirm ad momentum or quantify 2026 capex guidance. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs cuts (~1,500 jobs, ~10% of the division) signal a pullback from metaverse projects; saves costs but raises execution and product risk for VR/metaverse roadmaps and could weigh on sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts trimmed targets and issued pessimistic forecasts citing very large 2026 capex and falling free cash flow — creating pressure and increased volatility ahead of results. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by COO Javier Oliván (recent small, repeated sales disclosed) can amplify short‑term selling narratives even if transactions are routine. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing regulatory/legal matters (e.g., WhatsApp appeals, global scrutiny) remain background risks that could add costs or limit product rollouts in key markets. Read More.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.