Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price target increased by Citigroup from $895.00 to $905.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Citigroup‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 39.48% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $820.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Moffett Nathanson cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Arete Research upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $920.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $700.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

META stock traded down $48.67 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $648.85. 40,283,069 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,657,748. Meta Platforms has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $662.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $629.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.65 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms will post 27.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% 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. Insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409 in the last three months. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Watchman Group Inc. boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $630,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: 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.