Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $800.00 to $825.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the social networking company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 14.28% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Benchmark downgraded Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $1,117.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating and seven 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 price target of $843.29.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock traded up $53.16 during trading on Thursday, hitting $721.89. 16,123,650 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,963,502. Meta Platforms has a 52-week low of $479.80 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $646.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $695.85.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 30.89%.The business had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $8.02 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 11,690 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.31, for a total value of $6,935,793.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 2,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,432,843.65. This represents a 82.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,610 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Saturday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total value of $1,590,690.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,784 shares in the company, valued at $5,962,956.64. The trade was a 21.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 40,113 shares of company stock valued at $24,621,042 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of META. Westchester Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and strong guidance — Meta topped revenue and EPS estimates (Q4 revenue ~$59.9B; EPS $8.88) and gave Q1 revenue guidance above consensus, signaling renewed ad momentum and AI-driven monetization that reassures growth expectations. CNBC: Meta beats on top, bottom lines, gives stronger-than-expected forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street upgrades and higher price targets — Multiple firms raised targets (Mizuho, Stifel, Truist, BofA, Rosenblatt, Monness Crespi & Hardt, etc.), reflecting conviction that ad recovery + AI gains will drive meaningful upside. Benzinga: Analyst price target changes
• Positive Sentiment: After‑hours rally on the print — Shares jumped in extended trading after the results, suggesting investors initially embraced the beat + guidance as validation of Meta’s AI monetization. Finbold: Here’s why Meta stock is soaring
• Neutral Sentiment: Large supplier/data‑center deals — Multi‑year deals (e.g., up to $6B with Corning) validate the AI data‑center buildout but also underscore long-term capital intensity. WSJ: Meta enters deal with Corning
• Neutral Sentiment: Subscription tests — Meta is testing paid tiers across Instagram/Facebook/WhatsApp; potential long‑term revenue diversification but unclear near‑term impact on ad growth. CNET: Meta confirms subscription tests
• Negative Sentiment: Massive 2026 CapEx guidance — Management forecasted a steep CapEx increase (guidance cited ~$115B–$135B), which raises near‑term capital intensity and investor questions about ROI timing. Reuters: CapEx rise
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs drag — The XR/VR unit posted a multi‑billion operating loss (reported ~$6.02B in Q4) and historical VR cash burns remain large, keeping margin pressure and execution risk top of mind. CNBC: Reality Labs loss
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling (COO) — Small, disclosed sales by COO Javier Olivan may be noticed by some investors, though transactions are modest relative to insider holdings. SEC filing: Olivan sale

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.