Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target Raised to $849.00

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price objective hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $754.00 to $849.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the social networking company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on META. Roth Mkm reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 26th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $900.00 price objective (up from $870.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $847.98.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $716.50 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Meta Platforms has a 12-month low of $479.80 and a 12-month high of $796.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $652.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $696.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.29.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.02 EPS. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 8.94%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $665.00, for a total value of $343,805.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 10,132 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,737,780. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total value of $341,860.11. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 28,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,876,738.02. The trade was a 1.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 40,113 shares of company stock valued at $24,621,042 over the last quarter. 13.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Secured Retirement Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Secured Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 3,786 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,499,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 40,343 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $26,700,000 after buying an additional 1,143 shares in the last quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 21,128 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $13,946,000 after acquiring an additional 923 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 6,200 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,092,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Safe Harbor Family Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $431,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat + AI narrative shift: Meta reported stronger‑than‑expected Q4 revenue and EPS and management framed ad strength as early proof that AI investments are improving monetization and engagement — a narrative some analysts now call an AI profit cycle. Meta’s Story Just Flipped — Seeking Alpha
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance & analyst upgrades: Q1 revenue guidance topped Street expectations and many firms raised price targets or reiterated buys, supporting the recent rally and giving institutional investors cover to support higher valuations. MarketBeat: Meta Soars After‑Hours
• Neutral Sentiment: Business diversification tests: Meta is piloting premium subscriptions for Instagram/Facebook/WhatsApp and expanding AI features — potential long‑term upside but unclear near‑term revenue impact. CNBC: Premium subscription tests
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply deals validate buildout but signal capital intensity: large supplier agreements (e.g., with Corning) back the AI data‑center plan while confirming heavy multi‑year spending. CNBC: Corning deal
• Negative Sentiment: Massive 2026 CapEx: Management guided to $115B–$135B of capex for 2026 — far above prior levels — raising near‑term cash intensity and margin dilution concerns despite management saying operating income should hold. Reuters: CapEx rise
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs drag: XR/Reality Labs continues to burn cash (multi‑billion losses), creating an ongoing margin headwind and execution risk for non‑ad businesses. TechCrunch: $19B VR burn
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory & reputational headlines: A New Mexico trial alleging platforms exposed minors to exploitation and reports about content‑blocking controversies add legal and reputational risk that can pressure multiple‑quarter sentiment. Reuters: New Mexico trial
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term profit‑taking & headline noise: high short‑term expectations after the rally, occasional pundit criticism (e.g., Jim Cramer) and small insider sales add to volatility and can push the stock down after its run. 247WallSt: Jim Cramer critique

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.