Meta Platforms’ (META) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Rosenblatt Securities

Rosenblatt Securities reiterated their buy rating on shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Rosenblatt Securities currently has a $886.00 price target on the social networking company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Evercore raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $803.39.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.1%

Meta Platforms stock opened at $736.72 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $653.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $625.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.75, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms will post 27.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. 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, 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 sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 149,797 shares of company stock worth $102,180,385. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Paragon Capital Management Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 893 shares during the period. Daytona Street Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Daytona Street Capital LLC now owns 5,757 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $4,279,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Legacy Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $788,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Neumann Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at about $1,015,000. Finally, Iams Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.3% in the third quarter. Iams Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,327 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $4,590,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Key Meta Platforms News

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 be downloaded and adapted by developers, broadening Meta’s reach in the AI ecosystem. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and agentic tasks
• Positive Sentiment: An Apple collaboration will enable developers to run Muse Spark Open locally on high-end Mac computers, potentially reducing reliance on cloud infrastructure and increasing model adoption. Apple and Meta team up to make Muse AI model run on Mac computers
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse Wonder model scored 83.2% on an accounting AI benchmark, tying for second place and outperforming OpenAI and Google models in that test. Bank of America maintained a Buy rating and an $810 target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850. Meta Is Back in the AI Race
• Positive Sentiment: Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms is preparing a major Indian IPO, which could provide visibility into the value of Meta’s strategic investment and partnership in the business. Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms IPO
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta has outperformed megacap peers and gained roughly 12% over the past month, increasing investor focus on whether the recent AI-driven rally can continue or whether some holders will take profits. Meta Just Climbed 12% in a Month
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s more than $130 billion AI investment program is reducing free cash flow, while Reality Labs continues to generate large losses. A roughly $10 billion legal charge and uncertainty around 2027 capital spending could add pressure ahead of the company’s expected October 21 earnings report. Meta: The Muse Rally Has Priced In the Good News Before Q3
• Negative Sentiment: Seven Democratic senators are seeking an explanation for Meta’s claimed $6.6 billion in research tax credits related to AI data centers, creating potential tax and policy risks for Meta and other large technology companies. Senators Want to Know Why Meta Claimed $6.6 Billion in Research Tax Credits
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reduced its price target to $762 because of rising operating expenses, though it retained a Buy rating. A COO’s disclosed sales were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and are therefore a limited signal of management sentiment.

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 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.