Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) had its price target raised by Cantor Fitzgerald from $720.00 to $790.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s target price indicates a potential upside of 14.63% from the company’s previous close. Cantor Fitzgerald also issued estimates for Meta Platforms’ FY2025 earnings at $24.45 EPS.
Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $800.00 price target (up previously from $725.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $750.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Needham & Company LLC reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $680.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, thirty-six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $706.76.
Read Our Latest Research Report on META
Meta Platforms Stock Performance
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The social networking company reported $8.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.75 by $1.27. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.74% and a net margin of 37.91%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.33 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 25.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms
In other news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 8,951 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.16, for a total transaction of $5,166,159.16. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 51,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,776,261.56. The trade was a 14.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 901 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $567.70, for a total value of $511,497.70. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,581 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,360,833.70. The trade was a 2.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 661,804 shares of company stock valued at $407,745,741. 13.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 42,603 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $24,944,000 after buying an additional 3,615 shares in the last quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,259 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,908,000 after purchasing an additional 408 shares during the period. Convergence Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 17,452 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $10,218,000 after purchasing an additional 4,008 shares during the period. Allied Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC now owns 489 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,301,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
About Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.
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