Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Phillip Securities

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Phillip Securities to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

META has been the topic of several other research reports. Benchmark began coverage on Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $766.00 to $715.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citizens Jmp cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $785.32.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock opened at $587.94 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $600.27 and a 200-day moving average of $622.36. The company has a market cap of $1.49 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.14, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 28.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.75, for a total transaction of $303,875.00. Following the sale, the director owned 3,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,092,483.25. This trade represents a 12.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 837 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.85, for a total transaction of $508,770.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 6,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,823,376.50. The trade was a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 37,770 shares of company stock valued at $23,034,051. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First National Bank Sioux Falls grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls now owns 2,001 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,321,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 984 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $649,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Vista Capital Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $794,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Arcataur Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Arcataur Capital Management LLC now owns 1,736 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,146,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acorn Creek Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Acorn Creek Capital LLC now owns 2,118 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,398,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Phillip Securities upgraded Meta to “strong-buy,” providing a fresh bullish catalyst and signaling confidence that the recent weakness has created an attractive entry point. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary argues that investors may be overreacting to Meta’s infrastructure spending. The company still delivered 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, while AI investments are improving user engagement and advertising performance. Some analysts see substantial upside from current valuation levels. 28% Revenue Growth Ignored: Why Panic-Selling Meta Stock Over Infrastructure Spend Is a Mistake
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to meet with White House advisers alongside other leading AI companies regarding voluntary safety testing for advanced models. The meeting could improve regulatory cooperation, although it also highlights growing scrutiny of AI risks. Meta, Anthropic, Google, OpenAI to meet with Trump White House amid rogue AI agent fallout
• Negative Sentiment: AI capital commitments are a major overhang. Meta and other Big Tech companies have committed approximately $1.09 trillion in future lease payments, primarily for data centers. Investors remain concerned that the spending could pressure margins before AI monetization fully catches up. AI data-centre race builds $1 trillion lease burden for Big Tech
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s latest results were mixed: quarterly earnings of $6.18 per share missed estimates of $7.19, and next-quarter revenue guidance reportedly came in below expectations. In India, a dispute involving a video of Prime Minister Modi raises the possibility of losing “safe harbour” protections, which could increase legal and compliance exposure. What happens if Meta loses its safe harbour protection in India

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.