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

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price objective raised by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $800.00 to $825.00 in a research note issued on Thursday. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the social networking company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 14.28% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on META. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $845.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Bank of America lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research cut shares of Meta Platforms from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $843.29.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 7.9%

NASDAQ META traded up $53.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $721.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 16,123,650 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,963,502. Meta Platforms has a twelve month low of $479.80 and a twelve month high of $796.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $646.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $695.85.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.89% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.02 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total value of $341,860.11. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 28,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,876,738.02. This represents a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.28, for a total transaction of $358,602.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,587 shares in the company, valued at $3,454,330.36. This trade represents a 9.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,113 shares of company stock valued at $24,621,042. Insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of META. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors increased its position in Meta Platforms by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 3,506 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,587,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its position in Meta Platforms by 0.6% in the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 2,223 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,641,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Trust Co of the South increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the third quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,850 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,359,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 4,301 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $3,159,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and strong guidance — Meta topped revenue and EPS estimates (Q4 revenue ~$59.9B; EPS $8.88) and gave Q1 revenue guidance above consensus, signaling renewed ad momentum and AI-driven monetization that reassures growth expectations. CNBC: Meta beats on top, bottom lines, gives stronger-than-expected forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street upgrades and higher price targets — Multiple firms raised targets (Mizuho, Stifel, Truist, BofA, Rosenblatt, Monness Crespi & Hardt, etc.), reflecting conviction that ad recovery + AI gains will drive meaningful upside. Benzinga: Analyst price target changes
• Positive Sentiment: After‑hours rally on the print — Shares jumped in extended trading after the results, suggesting investors initially embraced the beat + guidance as validation of Meta’s AI monetization. Finbold: Here’s why Meta stock is soaring
• Neutral Sentiment: Large supplier/data‑center deals — Multi‑year deals (e.g., up to $6B with Corning) validate the AI data‑center buildout but also underscore long-term capital intensity. WSJ: Meta enters deal with Corning
• Neutral Sentiment: Subscription tests — Meta is testing paid tiers across Instagram/Facebook/WhatsApp; potential long‑term revenue diversification but unclear near‑term impact on ad growth. CNET: Meta confirms subscription tests
• Negative Sentiment: Massive 2026 CapEx guidance — Management forecasted a steep CapEx increase (guidance cited ~$115B–$135B), which raises near‑term capital intensity and investor questions about ROI timing. Reuters: CapEx rise
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs drag — The XR/VR unit posted a multi‑billion operating loss (reported ~$6.02B in Q4) and historical VR cash burns remain large, keeping margin pressure and execution risk top of mind. CNBC: Reality Labs loss
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling (COO) — Small, disclosed sales by COO Javier Olivan may be noticed by some investors, though transactions are modest relative to insider holdings. SEC filing: Olivan sale

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.