Meta Platforms’ (META) “Market Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at Citizens Jmp

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)‘s stock had its “market outperform” rating reiterated by research analysts at Citizens Jmp in a research note issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $885.00 price objective on the social networking company’s stock. Citizens Jmp‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 36.40% from the stock’s previous close.

META has been the subject of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $885.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Moffett Nathanson dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $850.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 7.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:META traded down $48.67 during trading on Thursday, hitting $648.85. The stock had a trading volume of 40,463,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,684,744. The company has a market capitalization of $1.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.44, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $662.27 and its 200 day moving average is $629.10. Meta Platforms has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The firm’s revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.25 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 27.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $10,577,000 after acquiring an additional 2,939 shares during the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% during the second quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares during the last quarter. William John Sempolinski purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 38.2% during the second quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $9,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares during the period. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 63.7% during the second quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $65,333,000 after purchasing an additional 45,130 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta reported third-quarter revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26.1% year over year, while adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share exceeded analyst expectations. Advertising remained robust, supported by AI-driven engagement, higher ad prices and improved conversion rates. META’s Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Meta said its Muse AI assistant surpassed 10 million users shortly after launch, strengthening the long-term case for new advertising, consumer and enterprise revenue opportunities. Meta says Muse has over 10M users
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms raised their price targets and maintained bullish ratings, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho and Pivotal Research, citing resilient advertising and improving AI prospects. Meta Stock Falls Despite Strong Q3 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta announced a 2-for-1 stock split and a new non-voting Class C share. The structure could help fund its AI buildout while preserving Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control, but it also raises concerns about future dilution and governance. Meta wants to pay for its AI buildout
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were alarmed by Meta’s capital-spending outlook of approximately $135 billion to $145 billion for 2026. Heavy data-center and AI investment pushed free cash flow negative, while credit-default-swap costs reached a record, intensifying concerns about debt or equity financing. Meta stock sinks as AI spend pushes free cash flow negative
• Negative Sentiment: A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in a Cambridge Analytica-related privacy case. Meta plans to appeal, but the verdict adds substantial legal, regulatory and reputational risk. Meta ordered to pay $25 billion to New Mexico
• Negative Sentiment: Broader technology-market weakness, AI-investment concerns and escalating Middle East tensions added to the selling pressure, making it harder for Meta’s earnings beat to support the stock.

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’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.