Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by equities researchers at Rosenblatt Securities in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $1,015.00 price target on the social networking company’s stock. Rosenblatt Securities’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 59.25% from the company’s current price.
Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Tigress Financial upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $935.00 to $945.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $805.00 to $780.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wolfe Research reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 10th. Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $800.00 price target (down from $880.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $840.19.
View Our Latest Research Report on Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms Price Performance
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.43 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Meta Platforms will post 29.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,778 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.45, for a total transaction of $1,748,612.10. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,557 shares in the company, valued at $6,645,103.65. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total value of $36,471,323.70. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 95,471 shares of company stock valued at $60,616,955. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 34.2% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 52,252 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $38,373,000 after purchasing an additional 13,311 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH grew its position in Meta Platforms by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 133,798 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $88,319,000 after buying an additional 18,169 shares during the period. Becker Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 5.0% in the third quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,052 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $25,741,000 after buying an additional 1,657 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 84,059 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $55,487,000 after acquiring an additional 3,336 shares during the period. Finally, Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC now owns 6,933 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $5,091,000 after acquiring an additional 968 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Meta Platforms News
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Meta launched global subscription tiers for Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and its AI products, giving users and businesses paid options that could create a new recurring revenue stream. Meta launches Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp subscriptions, with more to come, including AI plans
- Positive Sentiment: Meta is also testing paid AI subscription plans, which supports the company’s push to monetize its Meta AI tools more directly. Meta to start testing AI subscription services, with cheapest plan at $7.99 a month
- Positive Sentiment: Reports also highlighted strong momentum in Meta’s ad business, with AI improvements reportedly boosting engagement and ad clicks, reinforcing the core business even as the company expands into subscriptions. META Rides on Solid Momentum in Ad Business: A Sign of More Upside?
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary pieces compared Meta with Alphabet and discussed valuation, but these were mostly framing articles rather than new company-specific catalysts. Meta vs. Alphabet: Which Stock Is The Better Buy Today
- Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Meta’s appeal in the Vermont Instagram addiction lawsuit, allowing a legal challenge over teen safety and addictive design claims to move forward. US Supreme Court won’t hear Meta’s challenge to Vermont social media addiction lawsuit
- Negative Sentiment: Meta also faced renewed attention on workforce cuts and shareholder pressure around content moderation and online safety, which could keep regulatory and reputational risks in focus. Meta cuts nearly 1,400 jobs in Washington state, 20% of local workforce, in sweeping AI revamp
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.
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