Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Monness Crespi & Hardt Analyst Says

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price target raised by equities researchers at Monness Crespi & Hardt from $730.00 to $830.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 12.25% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and set a $810.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Evercore raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $787.86.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $739.43 on Monday. Meta Platforms has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $618.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $613.86. The firm has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.25. 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 (NASDAQ:META) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 150,307 shares of company stock valued at $101,851,357. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Niles Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded Muse for Small Business, adding integrations with Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Dropbox and Slack. The initiative could create subscription, transaction and enterprise-software revenue streams while reducing the company’s reliance on digital advertising. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Muse’s rapid adoption and potential to become a multibillion-dollar growth catalyst. Its integration with Meta’s large Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp user base may support future subscriptions, commerce fees, advertising improvements and AI-api revenue. Beyond advertising: analysts align on Meta Muse
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s push into business AI was reinforced by its new Meta Enterprise Platform and the hiring of former MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the effort. The move signals an attempt to monetize substantial AI infrastructure spending through corporate customers. Meta launches enterprise AI platform
• Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its META price target to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating. Analysts also point to AI-driven increases in advertising engagement, clicks and conversions as evidence that current investments may strengthen Meta’s core business. Meta Platforms price target raised
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares for approximately $21.4 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance, it is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. Mark Zuckerberg sells Meta shares
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI unveiled its always-on Dots agents, creating a direct competitive threat to Muse in consumer and enterprise AI. Reports that Muse exposed private information, including a user’s address, also raise privacy, safety, regulatory and reputational risks. OpenAI unveils Dots agents
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to weigh Meta’s sharply higher AI and data-center expenses against uncertain returns. The company also faces scrutiny over teen safety, data practices and potential regulation, which could increase costs or constrain monetization.

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.