Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target Raised to $730.00

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its target price upped by Wedbush from $700.00 to $730.00 in a report released on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the social networking company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on META. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $865.00 to $850.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $845.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.0%

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 PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a fifty day moving average of $664.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $629.72. Meta Platforms has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-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.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 28.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total transaction 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 represents a 13.65% decrease in their position. 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 ninety days, insiders sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Meta Platforms News

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.