Meta Platforms’ (META) “Overweight” Rating Reiterated at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $920.00 target price on the social networking company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 28.23% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on META. Roth Capital cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Citic Securities cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Citizens Jmp upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Evercore upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $808.88.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Meta Platforms stock traded down $19.25 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $717.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,350,595 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,455,088. Meta Platforms has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $653.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $625.27. The company has a market cap of $1.83 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.01, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued 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 return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms will post 27.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. TB Alternative Assets Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. TB Alternative Assets Ltd. now owns 104,435 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $75,734,000 after purchasing an additional 2,395 shares during the last quarter. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Michael J. Porro & Co. Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $251,000. North Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 2,408 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Paragon Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 41.7% during the 3rd quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,034 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,200,000 after purchasing an additional 893 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI product momentum continues. Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while a partnership with Apple will allow developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could strengthen Meta’s position in generative AI and expand future monetization opportunities. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains broadly constructive. JPMorgan reaffirmed its overweight rating with a $920 target, while Bank of America maintained a buy rating and an $810 target, citing progress from Meta’s newer AI models. Meta is also preparing for its third-quarter report, with investors focused on revenue, advertising trends, AI spending, and cash flow. Meta Q3 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s strategic reach is expanding. Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms plans a major Indian IPO, potentially highlighting the value of Meta’s international technology and investment relationships. WhatsApp also added guest calling for people who do not have accounts, which may support business adoption but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Jio Platforms IPO
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution concerns are weighing on sentiment. Goldman Sachs cut its Meta price target from $860 to $762, citing rising operating expenses. Investors are also concerned that more than $130 billion in AI infrastructure spending is reducing free cash flow, while Reality Labs losses and a potential large legal charge add pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and selling signals add uncertainty. A Brazilian judge ordered Meta to treat runoff candidates equally, and U.S. senators questioned Meta’s use of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers. Insider sales by Meta’s COO under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan are not necessarily bearish, but may contribute to caution. Brazil judge order

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.