Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $725.00 price objective (down from $825.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $840.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $850.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $840.67.Get Meta Platforms alerts:View Our Latest Stock Report on Meta PlatformsMeta Platforms Trading Down 0.5%Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $608.74 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $629.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $648.40. The company has a market cap of $1.54 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Meta Platforms has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $796.25. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. The business had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. Meta Platforms's quarterly revenue was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 29.81 EPS for the current year. Insiders Place Their BetsIn other Meta Platforms news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total transaction of $386,860.00. Following the sale, the director owned 3,847 shares in the company, valued at $2,565,949. The trade was a 13.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $670.84, for a total transaction of $421,958.36. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 2,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,591,232.48. This represents a 20.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 167,155 shares of company stock worth $107,067,129 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock. Institutional Inflows and OutflowsHedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Westchester Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at $26,000. RHL Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Bayban lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 100.0% during the first quarter. Bayban now owns 70 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. More Meta Platforms NewsHere are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat & AI ad momentum — Meta reported robust Q1 revenue and EPS, and management highlighted AI-driven ad tools and full‑stack model+chip co‑design that are expanding ad automation and advertiser reach. Meta Does Things Their Own Way
Positive Sentiment: Robotics/AI talent add — Meta acquired humanoid‑robot startup Assured Robot Intelligence to accelerate robotics model optimization, signaling product diversification in AI/robotics. WSJ: Meta Acquires Assured Robot Intelligence
Positive Sentiment: Energy and creator initiatives — Meta is signing energy partnerships (space solar/long‑duration storage) to secure power for compute-heavy AI centers and piloting stablecoin creator payouts — moves that support long‑term AI scale and monetization. AI drives growth (context)
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reactions mixed — Some firms (e.g., Stifel) trimmed price targets but retained “buy”; others raised targets on longer‑term AI upside. These tweaks sustain divergent Wall Street views on valuation vs. heavy CapEx. Benzinga: Analyst Moves
Neutral Sentiment: Insider sales disclosed — COO Javier Oliván sold shares under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan; routine but notable given market noise. SEC Filing
Negative Sentiment: Large CapEx raise spooks investors — Meta lifted 2026 capital expenditure guidance materially (now targeting major AI data‑center buildout), prompting concerns about near‑term free‑cash‑flow and returns; that is the primary reason the stock has been sold. Reuters: CapEx & market reaction
Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal pressure — Threats to pull apps from New Mexico over child‑safety rules and US senators’ scrutiny over ad removals amplify litigation/compliance risk and potential costs. Reuters: Lawmaker Scrutiny
Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs losses & deal setbacks — Continued multi‑billion losses in Reality Labs and a blocked Manus acquisition in China highlight near‑term cash drag and execution risks on speculative bets. CNBC: Reality Labs Loss
Meta Platforms Company Profile (Get Free Report)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.See AlsoThis instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.Before you consider Meta Platforms, you'll want to hear this.MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Meta Platforms wasn't on the list.While Meta Platforms currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.Unlock the timeless value of gold with our exclusive 2026 Gold Forecasting Report. Explore why gold remains the ultimate investment for safeguarding wealth against inflation, economic shifts, and global uncertainties. Whether you're planning for future generations or seeking a reliable asset in turbulent times, this report is your essential guide to making informed decisions.Get This Free Report
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