Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target Raised to $845.00

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price target hoisted by Bank of America from $810.00 to $845.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the social networking company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $796.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $850.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Arete Research raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Pivotal Research lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $865.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock opened at $642.62 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 1.90. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $664.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $629.72. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.25 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 28.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value 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 represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Watchman Group Inc. lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 3.9% in the first quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the first quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $869,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the third quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $874,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

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’s principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.