Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Gets Price Target Increase from UBS Group

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price target increased by investment analysts at UBS Group from $884.00 to $892.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the social networking company’s stock. UBS Group‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 37.47% from the company’s previous close.

META has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. New Street Research cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Meta Platforms stock traded down $48.67 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $648.85. 40,283,069 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,657,748. The firm has a market cap of $1.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.44, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $662.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $629.10. Meta Platforms has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.25 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 27.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total value of $669,011.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 5,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,233,299.20. This trade represents a 13.65% decrease in their position. 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 worth $102,347,409 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Watchman Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $869,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $874,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $630,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: Meta reported third-quarter revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26.1% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share, exceeding Wall Street estimates. Advertising growth, higher ad prices and AI-driven improvements in targeting and engagement supported the results. META’s Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Meta said its Muse AI assistant surpassed 10 million users shortly after launch, strengthening the long-term case for AI-related advertising, commerce and subscription revenue. Analysts including JPMorgan, Bank of America and Pivotal Research raised their price targets, maintaining bullish ratings. Meta falls as investors balance Muse growth with rising AI costs
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta announced a new non-voting Class C share structure intended to help finance its AI buildout without reducing Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. The move could provide funding flexibility, but investors are evaluating potential dilution and governance implications. Meta to issue new class of shares
• Negative Sentiment: Meta raised the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. The investment pushed quarterly free cash flow negative, prompting concerns that AI returns may take longer to justify the infrastructure bill. Meta stock sinks as AI spend pushes free cash flow negative
• Negative Sentiment: Credit-default-swap prices for Meta reached a record high, signaling increased concern about balance-sheet and financing risk as the company considers funding its AI expansion. The market reaction also weighed on power-equipment suppliers tied to Meta’s data-center spending. Bond market warning on Meta’s borrowing
• Negative Sentiment: A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in a Cambridge Analytica-related privacy case; the company plans to appeal. Separately, Meta faces an Australian class-action lawsuit alleging that its platforms harm children, adding to regulatory and litigation uncertainty. Meta ordered to pay $25 billion to New Mexico

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.