Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Given New $850.00 Price Target at Susquehanna

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price target upped by analysts at Susquehanna from $650.00 to $850.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “positive” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Susquehanna’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 21.86% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Meta Platforms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $819.94.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.5%

META stock opened at $697.52 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.78 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $662.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $629.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. Meta Platforms has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.25 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 27.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total transaction of $669,011.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 5,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,233,299.20. The trade was a 13.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 sold a total of 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

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