Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price Target Raised at Pivotal Research

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its target price hoisted by research analysts at Pivotal Research from $930.00 to $960.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Pivotal Research’s target price points to a potential upside of 37.63% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $945.00 target price (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Moffett Nathanson dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 price objective (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Roth Capital reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $815.92.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $697.52 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $662.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $629.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.78 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.27, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.25 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Meta Platforms will post 27.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% 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 have sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. now owns 2,406 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,745,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Seros Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth about $258,000. Legacy Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 5.8% during the third quarter. Legacy Financial Group Inc. now owns 764 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $554,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. NBT Bank N.A. acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth about $6,545,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 9,611 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,970,000 after acquiring an additional 704 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta reported third-quarter revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26.1% year over year and above the roughly $63.3 billion analyst estimate. Adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share also exceeded consensus near $6.54, reinforcing the strength of its advertising business. Meta third-quarter earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse AI assistant has surpassed 10 million users, with shopping among the leading activities. Bulls believe Muse could eventually create new subscription, commerce and enterprise revenue streams and improve advertising engagement. Meta Muse user growth
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed its Buy rating, while bullish analysts cited strong ad growth and potential margin-accretive monetization of Meta’s AI products. Rosenblatt Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta raised the low end of its 2026 capital-expenditure outlook to $135 billion, while maintaining a top end of $145 billion. The spending supports AI infrastructure and data centers but increases pressure on cash flow and future margins. Meta AI spending outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta plans to issue nonvoting Class C shares to help fund its AI expansion without reducing Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. The structure may improve financing flexibility but raises investor concerns about dilution and governance. Meta new share class
• Negative Sentiment: A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties tied to Cambridge Analytica-era privacy practices. Meta plans to appeal, but the ruling adds substantial legal and headline risk. New Mexico privacy judgment
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also weighing Muse’s high computing costs, projected Reality Labs losses of about $15 billion next year, an Australian class-action lawsuit alleging harm to children, and the departure of an AI researcher. These issues reinforce concerns that Meta’s AI strategy may take years to become profitable.

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’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.