Meta Platforms’ (META) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at TD Cowen

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by research analysts at TD Cowen in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $865.00 price target on the social networking company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 19.99% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $796.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $770.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $791.86.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META traded down $0.42 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $720.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 15,999,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,476,658. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.84 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.15, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $634.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $618.50. Meta Platforms has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares in the company, valued at $462,024. This trade represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. 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 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Watchman Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,913,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Penney Financial LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $869,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tenzing Financial LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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: Meta’s growing role in the micro-drama market could create a new advertising revenue stream. Short-form serialized shows are expanding beyond China, and the platform is becoming an important distribution channel for this content. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reportedly set a $1,000 price target, citing AI as a potential catalyst, while TD Cowen reaffirmed its “buy” rating with an $865 target. These targets imply analysts see substantial upside if Meta converts AI investment into higher engagement, advertising and commerce revenue. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse assistant continues to expand, including a new iPad app, and the company is working with Sierra, Shopify, Stripe and Walmart on standards for AI agents to interact with businesses. Successful agentic commerce could eventually provide Meta with transaction-based revenue. Meta’s Muse launches on iPad
• Neutral Sentiment: President Donald Trump disclosed purchases of as much as $25 million in Meta stock, a headline that may support investor sentiment but does not change the company’s fundamentals. Trump bought up to $25 million in Meta
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked Meta’s Muse agent. Access limitations could delay Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered shopping and other agentic-commerce services. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by websites
• Negative Sentiment: Florida is pursuing restrictions on Meta’s platforms, including a possible ban for users under 14 and limits on infinite scrolling for teenagers. Such rules could reduce engagement, advertising inventory and the effectiveness of Meta’s core products while increasing legal costs. Meta Stock Falls as Florida challenges infinite scroll
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s substantial AI data-center spending is consuming cash before returns are clear. Commentary also highlights criticism of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s AI strategy and the risk that AI infrastructure becomes a prolonged cash-flow drag. Why AI Infrastructure Is Turning Meta and Amazon Into Cash-Flow Sinks

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 operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.