Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target Raised to $730.00

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its target price boosted by BMO Capital Markets from $710.00 to $730.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the social networking company’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective points to a potential upside of 9.16% from the company’s current price.

META has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wedbush cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $920.00 to $880.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Benchmark cut Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $828.93.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 0.6%

Meta Platforms stock opened at $668.73 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.69 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $646.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $695.85. Meta Platforms has a 12 month low of $479.80 and a 12 month high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.89% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.02 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Saturday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total transaction of $1,590,690.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,784 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,962,956.64. This trade represents a 21.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 6,875 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Saturday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total transaction of $4,190,037.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 88,370 shares in the company, valued at $53,857,980.20. This trade represents a 7.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,113 shares of company stock worth $24,621,042. Insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $23,155,393,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 73,443.1% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,417,003 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,212,506,000 after acquiring an additional 8,405,558 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $64,158,971,000 after acquiring an additional 1,650,435 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,191,175,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 192,591,101 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $142,149,566,000 after acquiring an additional 1,532,568 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and strong guidance — Meta reported $8.88 EPS and ~$59.9B revenue, beating estimates, and guided Q1 revenue above Street consensus; the print supports the thesis that AI is already lifting ad monetization. CNBC: Meta beats on top, bottom lines, gives stronger-than-expected forecast
• Positive Sentiment: After?hours rally and momentum — the beat + guidance sent META sharply higher in extended trading as traders priced faster growth and improving ad engagement metrics (Reels, ad impressions). Finbold: Here’s why Meta stock is soaring
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst reaction & upgrades — several firms refreshed price targets and reiterated Outperform/Buy calls after the results, supporting near?term investor confidence. Seeking Alpha: Meta: Set For New Highs In 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Product & revenue diversification tests — Meta is testing paid tiers for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp; potential long?term upside but unclear near?term impact on ad revenue. CNET: Meta confirms testing of premium subscriptions
• Neutral Sentiment: Supplier deals validate AI buildout — a multiyear Corning fiber?optic deal (up to ~$6B) signals real infrastructure expansion that supports future AI capacity but also locks in spending. CNBC: Corning deal
• Negative Sentiment: Huge 2026 capex guide — management forecasted a dramatic rise in AI capex (roughly $115B–$135B), a front?loaded spend that introduces margin and cash?return uncertainty despite management’s view that operating income will hold. Reuters: Capex rise
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs drag — the XR unit posted ~ $6.02B operating loss in Q4 and prior reporting shows multi?billion cash burns, keeping margin pressure and execution risk on the table. CNBC: Reality Labs loss
• Negative Sentiment: Minor insider selling — COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares (small relative to holdings), a note some investors track but not a major red flag. SEC filing: Insider sale

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.