Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Rating Increased to Overweight at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) was upgraded by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $820.00 price objective on the social networking company’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $640.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 25.44% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Meta Platforms to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $725.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five 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 target price of $787.54.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 6.6%

NASDAQ:META opened at $653.69 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $599.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $608.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.67 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $790.80. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Meta Platforms will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $869,922.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,957 shares in the company, valued at $1,092,006. This represents a 44.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% 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 three months, insiders have sold 36,227 shares of company stock valued at $21,205,509. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 56,957.6% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,878,304,587 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,058,030,191,000 after buying an additional 1,875,012,642 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after acquiring an additional 105,154,977 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $22,152,075,000. Corient Private Wealth LP raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 723.1% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $4,957,946,000 after acquiring an additional 7,732,446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,948,486,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: Early interest in Muse reportedly exceeded expectations, strengthening the view that Meta can convert its billions of users and AI investments into subscription revenue beyond advertising. Why Are Meta Shares Soaring Today
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc maintained an Overweight rating and a $780 price target following the Muse launch, while ARK Invest bought 38,304 Meta shares worth approximately $24.8 million. Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square also reportedly increased its stake, providing additional institutional support. Analyst updates Meta stock price target
• Positive Sentiment: Anthropic reportedly posted and then removed a sales position paying more than $450,000 to target Meta as an important AI customer. The episode highlights Meta’s strategic value as an AI buyer and the intensifying competition for AI talent and business. Anthropic Pulls Meta Sales Role
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are weighing Muse’s monetization potential against high computing costs, possible margin pressure and uncertain consumer adoption. Meta’s latest quarter showed 28% revenue growth, but EPS missed consensus estimates as infrastructure expenses increased.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta faces execution and reputational risks because Muse can access sensitive data and act across other applications. Privacy concerns, a lawsuit alleging that users were harmed by crypto-scam advertisements, and the departure of star AI researcher Andrew Tulloch could temper enthusiasm. Meta faces privacy and safety concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Accounting Officer Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares worth about $2.0 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance, its signal is limited, but it may weigh modestly on sentiment.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.