Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Given New $886.00 Price Target at Rosenblatt Securities

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its target price hoisted by analysts at Rosenblatt Securities from $883.00 to $886.00 in a report released on Thursday. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Rosenblatt Securities’ price target points to a potential upside of 53.78% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on META. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $890.00 to $730.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Phillip Securities raised Meta Platforms to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $680.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $785.22.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $576.14 on Thursday. Meta Platforms has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $790.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.47 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.25. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $592.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $612.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms will post 28.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $869,922.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,957 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,092,006. This represents a 44.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,708,013.06. This trade represents a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 34,957 shares of company stock valued at $20,442,696. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. 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: The settlement ends a major federal trial and removes the risk of potentially far larger damages. Meta will pay approximately $16.7 billion to $18 billion, an amount analysts characterize as manageable relative to the company’s profitability. The agreement also avoids a fundamental overhaul of Meta’s core advertising model, personalized recommendations or targeted advertising. Meta’s social media settlement leaves its money machine unscathed
• Positive Sentiment: Investors appear to view legal certainty as more important than the near-term cash cost. The payout represents roughly three to four months of profit, while the settlement limits the possibility of a damaging “Big Tobacco”-style outcome or restrictions on the broader business. What smart people are saying about Meta’s settlement
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta must introduce extensive protections for users under 18, including a two-hour daily usage limit, default blocking from midnight to 6 a.m., muted school-hour notifications, parental controls and stronger age-restricted-content safeguards. The measures are expected to take effect within six months and could become stricter if competitors adopt similar rules. New Teen Safety Measures for Instagram and Facebook Are Coming
• Negative Sentiment: The settlement could create a broader regulatory precedent. Officials in the U.K., Australia and South Korea are already urging Meta to apply the safeguards globally, potentially increasing compliance costs and reducing engagement among younger users. UK expects Meta to match US child safety measures
• Negative Sentiment: Implementation remains uncertain: critics question whether age-verification technology works reliably and whether the new design changes will be effectively enforced. Florida has also rejected the settlement, while Meta still faces thousands of separate youth-harm lawsuits. Meta’s child-safety deal hinges on age verification technology

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.