Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target Raised to $950.00

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its target price hoisted by Mizuho from $750.00 to $950.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. Mizuho currently has an outperform rating on the social networking company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on META. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $580.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $895.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $642.62 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19. 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 0.30, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 1.90. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $664.40 and a 200-day moving average of $629.72.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.25 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 28.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher K. 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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.