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

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at Wedbush from $700.00 to $730.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Wedbush’s price target points to a potential upside of 4.66% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $820.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. CICC Research decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Arete Research upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $795.00 to $750.00 in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $821.22.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $697.52 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $662.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $629.10. Meta Platforms has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The company has a market cap 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 (NASDAQ:META) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.25 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms will post 27.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares in the company, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% 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 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported earnings of $7.40 per share versus the $6.54 consensus estimate and revenue of $64.60 billion versus expectations of $63.34 billion. Revenue increased 26.1% year over year, supported by advertising growth and improved AI-driven ad performance. Meta Q3 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish: Guggenheim reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $850 price target, while Susquehanna, KeyCorp, Pivotal Research and Bank of America also raised or maintained positive ratings with targets ranging from $845 to $960. Meta analyst ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Muse is gaining traction: Meta said its AI assistant has surpassed 10 million users, while AI tools are reportedly increasing ad conversions, click-through rates and average ad prices. This supports the argument that AI is already strengthening Meta’s core advertising business. Meta Muse user growth
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares: Meta plans to issue nonvoting stock to help fund its AI expansion without reducing Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. The structure may improve funding flexibility but raises investor concerns about dilution and governance. Meta new stock class
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is overshadowing the earnings beat: Meta raised the low end of its 2026 capital-expenditure outlook to $135 billion, with potential spending as high as $145 billion. Investors are questioning how quickly Muse and other AI initiatives can generate returns, particularly as Muse carries high computing costs and Reality Labs is expected to lose about $15 billion next year. Meta AI spending concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Large legal liabilities add uncertainty: A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $25 billion over alleged privacy violations tied to Cambridge Analytica. Meta plans to appeal, but the verdict adds to recurring litigation expenses and regulatory risk. The company also faces an Australian class-action lawsuit alleging harm to children. Meta New Mexico privacy verdict

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.