Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target Raised to $800.00

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price objective raised by DA Davidson from $700.00 to $800.00 in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the social networking company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Pivotal Research raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $1,000.00 to $995.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 target price (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $885.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $642.62 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $664.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $629.72. The company has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Meta Platforms has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.25 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 28.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth about $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

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.