JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised Meta’s price target from $820 to $920 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying approximately 20.37% upside from the prior close.
• Meta shares rose 2.7% to $764.33, while the broader analyst consensus remained “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $801.22.
• Meta’s latest results were mixed: quarterly revenue increased 28% year over year and exceeded estimates, but earnings per share of $6.18 missed the $7.19 consensus. Insiders also sold approximately $80.8 million of stock over the past quarter.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $820.00 to $920.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the social networking company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target points to a potential upside of 20.37% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $890.00 to $730.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Benchmark reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $700.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $801.22.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 2.7%

NASDAQ META traded up $20.23 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $764.33. 16,039,211 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,337,160. Meta Platforms has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $770.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $610.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $611.16. The firm has a market cap of $1.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.89, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 27.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total transaction of $643,535.42. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,646,237.90. This trade represents a 8.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 123,333 shares of company stock valued at $80,795,845. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets. Citizens JMP increased its target to $885 from $770, while other firms—including JPMorgan, KeyCorp, Cantor Fitzgerald and RBC—also offered bullish assessments. JPMorgan compared Muse’s early potential with ChatGPT’s launch. Meta stock rises as analysts raise price targets
• Positive Sentiment: Muse is gaining users quickly. Apptopia estimated approximately 642,000 daily U.S. users during Muse’s first 12 days, compared with 231,000 for ChatGPT at the same stage of its mobile launch. Investors are increasingly expecting monetization through subscriptions, advertising, commerce and business services. Meta unveils Muse Charm handheld device
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded its AI hardware ecosystem. The company unveiled the Muse Charm handheld device, camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses and $1,299 Meta VR Glasses, giving Muse additional distribution channels and potentially strengthening Meta’s long-term platform strategy. Mark Zuckerberg debuts Meta VR Glasses and Muse Charm
• Positive Sentiment: Non-advertising revenue opportunities are emerging. Meta One subscription offerings, in-app purchases and Muse’s commerce integrations—including Shopify’s Shop Pay—could help diversify revenue beyond the company’s core advertising business. Meta One subscriptions show positive early signs
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro conditions remain a near-term influence. Rising Treasury yields and oil prices pressured broader technology stocks, although Meta’s gains outpaced the major indexes as investors focused on company-specific AI developments.
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending and valuation are significant risks. Analysts are debating whether Meta’s capital expenditures could approach $145 billion while free cash flow reportedly fell sharply. The stock’s steep recent rally increases the risk of profit-taking if Muse monetization does not meet elevated expectations. Meta’s spending and valuation debate
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and privacy concerns persist. Amazon has blocked Muse from its website, while privacy and security concerns surrounding AI agents and smart glasses could restrict adoption or attract regulatory scrutiny. Insider share sales under pre-arranged trading plans are an additional, though limited, cautionary signal.

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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