Cantor Fitzgerald Issues Positive Forecast for Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its target price upped by stock analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from $680.00 to $860.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 16.75% from the company’s previous close.

META has been the topic of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $725.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $890.00 to $730.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Arete Research set a $735.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $796.95.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.6%

META opened at $736.59 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.25. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $609.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $610.57. Meta Platforms has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $770.60. 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 (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 27.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total value of $13,005,600.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 244,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $159,003,864.48. The trade was a 7.56% decrease in their position. The sale 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 3,348 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total transaction of $2,012,047.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. This trade represents a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 81,758 shares of company stock worth $51,214,020. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Watchman Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $869,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Tenzing Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the second quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $726,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption is driving bullish expectations. Muse reportedly became the top free app on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, with downloads outpacing ChatGPT’s early mobile launch. Analysts at Jefferies and Bank of America maintained Buy ratings, while Jefferies raised its price target to $875 from $710 and Bank of America set an $810 target. Wall Street expects Meta’s AI agent to shape into a new revenue engine
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial partnerships strengthen Muse’s monetization potential. Shopify is integrating Shop Pay checkout, and PayPal also plans to use the agent, giving Muse practical shopping capabilities and positioning it as a platform for developers and merchants. Shopify Brings Shop Pay Checkout Solution to Meta’s Muse AI Agent
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its AI infrastructure and hardware ambitions. The company is expected to unveil new smart glasses at Connect, including a camera-free model intended to address privacy concerns. Meta also announced action against more than 3.7 million scam-linked accounts and content, supporting platform safety efforts. Meta expected to unveil smart glasses without camera
• Neutral Sentiment: Connect 2026 is the next major catalyst. Investors will look for details on smart glasses, Muse’s product roadmap, pricing and monetization. Meta’s strong advertising business and recent revenue growth provide financial support for its heavy AI infrastructure spending, but the stock’s recent rally has raised valuation concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Muse faces privacy, security and competitive risks. Amazon blocked the agent from shopping on its site, while Meta has tested using human contractors to complete some tasks. These developments raise questions about reliability, data protection and the scalability of the service. Meta’s New AI Agent Is an Instant Hit—and the Backlash Has Already Begun

About Meta Platforms

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.