Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the forty-seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-four have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $788.8780.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $785.00 price objective (down from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Friday, September 11th.

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $657.73, for a total transaction of $622,212.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 10,716 shares in the company, valued at $7,048,234.68. The trade was a 8.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $675.23, for a total transaction of $13,504,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 224,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $151,599,938.68. The trade was a 8.18% 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 have sold 81,758 shares of company stock valued at $51,214,020 over the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RHL Group LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse personal AI agent reached No. 1 on Apple’s U.S. free-app chart, surpassing ChatGPT roughly one week after launch. Its ability to handle shopping, bookings, email and phone calls could give Meta a significant consumer-AI growth platform and strengthen the case for future subscriptions or commerce revenue. Meta’s Muse tops Apple’s US free app chart
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Meta’s internally developed MTIA AI chips could save approximately $8.5 billion in 2027 by reducing reliance on third-party processors. Custom silicon could improve the economics of Meta’s expanding AI infrastructure over time. Meta Can Save $8.5 Billion in 2027 by Using Its Own MTIA Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upcoming product announcements remain potential catalysts. Rosenblatt reiterated a Buy rating, while investors are looking ahead to Meta Connect on September 23 for additional AI, glasses and subscription details. Meta Earns Buy Rating from Rosenblatt Securities
• Neutral Sentiment: Muse’s early popularity is encouraging, but analysts disagree on its financial impact. The generous free tier may accelerate adoption while delaying revenue and increasing computing costs; consumer distrust of Meta and the need to provide sensitive account data could also limit paid conversion. Meta’s Muse Agent Has Wall Street Divided on Its AI Potential
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are taking profits after META rose roughly 23%–24% over the past month. Valuation and expectations have risen quickly, increasing sensitivity to any evidence that AI spending will not generate near-term earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment program is placing significant pressure on cash flow. Articles highlighted a more than 90% decline in free cash flow as capital expenditures rise, raising concerns about the payback period for data centers, chips and other infrastructure. Meta Versus Oracle: AI Capex Payback Velocity
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and reputational pressure is increasing. A German court held Meta liable for fraudulent third-party ads, while regulators and its Oversight Board criticized safeguards against deepfakes and nonconsensual filming involving its smart glasses. These issues could increase compliance costs and threaten user trust. German Court Rules Meta Liable for Fake Ads
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Product Officer Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares worth approximately $13.5 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The planned nature reduces the signal, but the sale may still weigh modestly on sentiment. SEC Insider Trading Filing

Meta Platforms Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $665.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.70 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $606.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $609.79. 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 has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company’s revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 27.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.