Cantor Fitzgerald Issues Positive Forecast for Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald raised Meta’s price target to $860 from $680 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying 16.75% potential upside. Analysts overall rate the stock “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of $796.95.
• Meta shares opened at $736.59, near their 12-month high of $770.60, while the company reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth in its latest quarter despite missing earnings estimates.
• Meta’s AI strategy is driving optimism, with strong early adoption of its Muse agent, new commercial partnerships and anticipated smart-glasses announcements. However, privacy, security, competitive and valuation risks remain concerns.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from $680.00 to $860.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the social networking company's stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 16.75% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on META. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $700.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Arete Research set a $735.00 price target on Meta Platforms and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $796.95.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $736.59 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $609.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $610.57. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.74, a PEG ratio of 1.29 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 $770.60.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The firm's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Meta Platforms will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at $5,708,013.06. This trade represents a 26.06% 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 a total of 81,758 shares of company stock valued at $51,214,020 in the last ninety days. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $34,734,628,000 after purchasing an additional 878,396 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at $22,152,075,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,036,491,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption is driving bullish expectations. Muse reportedly became the top free app on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, with downloads outpacing ChatGPT’s early mobile launch. Analysts at Jefferies and Bank of America maintained Buy ratings, while Jefferies raised its price target to $875 from $710 and Bank of America set an $810 target. Wall Street expects Meta's AI agent to shape into a new revenue engine
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial partnerships strengthen Muse’s monetization potential. Shopify is integrating Shop Pay checkout, and PayPal also plans to use the agent, giving Muse practical shopping capabilities and positioning it as a platform for developers and merchants. Shopify Brings Shop Pay Checkout Solution to Meta's Muse AI Agent
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its AI infrastructure and hardware ambitions. The company is expected to unveil new smart glasses at Connect, including a camera-free model intended to address privacy concerns. Meta also announced action against more than 3.7 million scam-linked accounts and content, supporting platform safety efforts. Meta expected to unveil smart glasses without camera
• Neutral Sentiment: Connect 2026 is the next major catalyst. Investors will look for details on smart glasses, Muse’s product roadmap, pricing and monetization. Meta’s strong advertising business and recent revenue growth provide financial support for its heavy AI infrastructure spending, but the stock’s recent rally has raised valuation concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Muse faces privacy, security and competitive risks. Amazon blocked the agent from shopping on its site, while Meta has tested using human contractors to complete some tasks. These developments raise questions about reliability, data protection and the scalability of the service. Meta's New AI Agent Is an Instant Hit—and the Backlash Has Already Begun

About Meta Platforms

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.

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