JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its target price increased by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $920.00 to $940.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the social networking company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s price target suggests a potential upside of 42.57% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on META. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $820.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Arete Research increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $895.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $650.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $823.47.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 5.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:META traded down $38.21 during trading on Thursday, reaching $659.31. 10,132,183 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,527,865. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $662.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $629.10. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.68 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion for 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. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 27.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total value of $669,011.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 5,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,233,299.20. This represents a 13.65% 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported earnings of $7.40 per share versus the $6.54 consensus estimate and revenue of $64.60 billion versus expectations of $63.34 billion. Revenue increased 26.1% year over year, supported by advertising growth and improved AI-driven ad performance. Meta Q3 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish: Guggenheim reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $850 price target, while Susquehanna, KeyCorp, Pivotal Research and Bank of America also raised or maintained positive ratings with targets ranging from $845 to $960. Meta analyst ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Muse is gaining traction: Meta said its AI assistant has surpassed 10 million users, while AI tools are reportedly increasing ad conversions, click-through rates and average ad prices. This supports the argument that AI is already strengthening Meta’s core advertising business. Meta Muse user growth
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares: Meta plans to issue nonvoting stock to help fund its AI expansion without reducing Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. The structure may improve funding flexibility but raises investor concerns about dilution and governance. Meta new stock class
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is overshadowing the earnings beat: Meta raised the low end of its 2026 capital-expenditure outlook to $135 billion, with potential spending as high as $145 billion. Investors are questioning how quickly Muse and other AI initiatives can generate returns, particularly as Muse carries high computing costs and Reality Labs is expected to lose about $15 billion next year. Meta AI spending concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Large legal liabilities add uncertainty: A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $25 billion over alleged privacy violations tied to Cambridge Analytica. Meta plans to appeal, but the verdict adds to recurring litigation expenses and regulatory risk. The company also faces an Australian class-action lawsuit alleging harm to children. Meta New Mexico privacy verdict

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.