Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Mizuho Analyst Says

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price objective hoisted by Mizuho from $815.00 to $850.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Mizuho’s price target suggests a potential upside of 27.11% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Wedbush reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $920.00 to $880.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $870.00 target price (down previously from $900.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $828.93.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.6%

META opened at $668.73 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.69 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. Meta Platforms has a 52 week low of $479.80 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The business’s 50 day moving average is $646.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $695.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. The business had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.89% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.02 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $665.00, for a total transaction of $343,805.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,132 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,737,780. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total transaction of $341,860.11. Following the completion of the sale, the insider 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 40,113 shares of company stock worth $24,621,042. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 192,591,101 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $142,149,566,000 after buying an additional 1,532,568 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $64,158,971,000 after acquiring an additional 1,650,435 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 51,575,209 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $37,902,948,000 after acquiring an additional 682,768 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Meta Platforms by 0.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 39,247,690 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $28,823,375,000 after acquiring an additional 278,180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $23,155,393,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and strong guidance — Meta reported $8.88 EPS and ~$59.9B revenue, beating estimates, and guided Q1 revenue above Street consensus; the print supports the thesis that AI is already lifting ad monetization. CNBC: Meta beats on top, bottom lines, gives stronger-than-expected forecast
• Positive Sentiment: After‑hours rally and momentum — the beat + guidance sent META sharply higher in extended trading as traders priced faster growth and improving ad engagement metrics (Reels, ad impressions). Finbold: Here’s why Meta stock is soaring
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst reaction & upgrades — several firms refreshed price targets and reiterated Outperform/Buy calls after the results, supporting near‑term investor confidence. Seeking Alpha: Meta: Set For New Highs In 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Product & revenue diversification tests — Meta is testing paid tiers for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp; potential long‑term upside but unclear near‑term impact on ad revenue. CNET: Meta confirms testing of premium subscriptions
• Neutral Sentiment: Supplier deals validate AI buildout — a multiyear Corning fiber‑optic deal (up to ~$6B) signals real infrastructure expansion that supports future AI capacity but also locks in spending. CNBC: Corning deal
• Negative Sentiment: Huge 2026 capex guide — management forecasted a dramatic rise in AI capex (roughly $115B–$135B), a front‑loaded spend that introduces margin and cash‑return uncertainty despite management’s view that operating income will hold. Reuters: Capex rise
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs drag — the XR unit posted ~ $6.02B operating loss in Q4 and prior reporting shows multi‑billion cash burns, keeping margin pressure and execution risk on the table. CNBC: Reality Labs loss
• Negative Sentiment: Minor insider selling — COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares (small relative to holdings), a note some investors track but not a major red flag. SEC filing: Insider sale

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.