Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Hits New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on the stock from $680.00 to $860.00. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Meta Platforms traded as high as $763.90 and last traded at $744.2940, with a volume of 9408949 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $736.59.

META has been the topic of a number of other reports. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $886.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Citizens Jmp reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Arete Research set a $735.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $796.95.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $675.23, for a total transaction of $13,504,600.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 224,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $151,599,938.68. The trade was a 8.18% 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 sold a total of 81,758 shares of company stock worth $51,214,020 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse is gaining rapid consumer traction. The AI agent reportedly reached No. 1 on the U.S. iPhone free-app chart, with approximately 900,000 first-week downloads. Its user-friendly design and ability to perform multistep tasks are strengthening the view that Meta can turn AI engagement into a major new platform. Meta’s Muse Hit No. 1
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to raise expectations. KeyBanc lifted its price target to $900 from $780, while Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $860 from $680; both retain Overweight ratings. Jefferies and Bank of America have also reaffirmed bullish views, citing Muse’s early adoption and potential monetization.
• Positive Sentiment: Commerce partnerships provide a possible revenue path beyond advertising. Shopify is integrating Shop Pay checkout into Muse, and PayPal is also expected to support the agent. These deals could help Meta monetize AI-led product discovery and transactions. Shopify Brings Shop Pay Checkout to Muse
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta Connect is a near-term event catalyst. Investors are awaiting announcements on Muse, AI models and new smart glasses. Meta is reportedly preparing a camera-free glasses model to address privacy concerns, but the commercial impact remains uncertain. Meta expected to unveil smart glasses
• Negative Sentiment: Concerns could limit Muse’s reach. Amazon has blocked the agent from shopping on its website, citing unauthorized access and credential concerns. Reports that Meta is using human contractors as a “concierge” also raise questions about scalability, reliability and privacy. Meta testing a human concierge for Muse
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and spending remain risks. META trades near its yearly high after a substantial recent increase, while heavy AI infrastructure investment and the latest quarterly EPS miss could encourage profit-taking. Investors now need evidence that Muse can generate meaningful revenue rather than merely boost sentiment.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $51,841,811,000 after buying an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Silicon Valley Capital Partners raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 13.9% in the second quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 74,799 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $42,134,000 after acquiring an additional 9,114 shares in the last quarter. Premier Financial Group bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $96,000. Wellington Altus USA Inc. raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 1,069 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $335,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 1.2%

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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $609.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $610.57. The firm has a market cap of $1.90 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.15, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 7.91%.

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.