Stifel Nicolaus Has Lowered Expectations for Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its target price reduced by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $875.00 to $785.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target points to a potential upside of 19.02% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on META. Barclays reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $770.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $875.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $800.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $819.50.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock traded up $11.95 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $659.58. 2,780,429 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,687,100. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $641.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $697.57. Meta Platforms has a 52-week low of $479.80 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.66 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.98.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.51. The company had revenue of $51.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.89% and a return on equity of 39.35%. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.03 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.28, for a total value of $358,602.40. Following the sale, the director owned 5,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,454,330.36. This trade represents a 9.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $608.35, for a total transaction of $314,516.95. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,478,319.15. This trade represents a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 40,632 shares of company stock valued at $25,055,572. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of META. Dara Capital US Inc. purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $6,950,000. Aldebaran Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 3,285 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,188,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,141 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,054,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 3,121 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,060,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Axiom Financial Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC now owns 527 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Threads ad rollout: Meta will begin showing ads on Threads globally next week, monetizing a 400M+ MAU product and adding near-term ad revenue optionality for the company. Meta to begin rolling out Threads ads globally
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backing and valuation calls: Jefferies reiterated a Buy and $910 PT, and other commentators highlight an attractive post-pullback valuation (~21x 2025 EPS / low-teens EV/EBITDA), supporting buying interest. Jefferies lays out five reasons to buy Meta Platforms amid pullback
• Positive Sentiment: AI progress: Meta’s new AI lab reportedly delivered first in‑house models, a tangible capability milestone that investors view as important for future product improvements and cost efficiencies. Meta’s AI Lab Delivers First Models In-House
• Positive Sentiment: Hardware/metaverse upside: TD Cowen lifted its price target and Meta plans to double production of Meta Glasses — positive for longer‑term diversification beyond ads. Meta Platforms to Double Production For Meta Glasses While TD Cowen Lifts PT From $810 to $820
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings & 2026 CapEx are the main catalysts — analysts expect ~20% revenue growth and modest EPS upside, but guidance on 2026 capital spending will likely drive the next big move in the stock. META Q4 Earnings Preview: 2026 CapEx Guidance Takes Center Stage
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider activity: COO Javier Oliván disclosed a modest, routine sell; size and history suggest personal liquidity rather than a signal of corporate trouble. SEC filing: Javier Olivan sale
• Negative Sentiment: UK regulatory probe: Ofcom opened an investigation into Meta’s responses about WhatsApp data for a market review, introducing compliance and regulatory uncertainty in Europe. UK investigates Meta’s compliance with WhatsApp data requests
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk: Meta is contesting evidence in an upcoming New Mexico child‑safety trial — adverse rulings or reputational fallout could pressure sentiment and add litigation costs. Meta seeks to limit evidence in child safety case
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure: Some firms have trimmed targets (e.g., UBS lowered its PT), reflecting market sensitivity to guidance and higher spending — a reminder upside remains tied to execution vs. elevated CapEx. UBS Lowers Meta Platforms Price Target to $830

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.