Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Given New $850.00 Price Target at TD Cowen

Key Points

• TD Cowen lowered Meta’s price target from $865 to $850 but maintained a “Buy” rating, implying 21.86% upside from the previous close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: Meta has an average “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $821.22, with 47 analysts issuing Buy ratings.
• Meta beat quarterly expectations with $7.40 EPS and $64.60 billion in revenue, up 26.1% year over year, although rising AI spending and potential legal liabilities remain key investor concerns.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) had its target price cut by equities research analysts at TD Cowen from $865.00 to $850.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the social networking company's stock. TD Cowen's target price indicates a potential upside of 21.86% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on META. UBS Group set a $940.00 target price on Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Arete Research increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Pivotal Research lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $821.22.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $697.52 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.78 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.19. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $662.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $629.10. Meta Platforms has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.25 earnings per share. Meta Platforms's quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 27.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Corient Private Wealth LP grew its position 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 worth $4,957,946,000 after purchasing an additional 7,732,446 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $2,948,486,000. State Street Corp boosted 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 worth $51,841,811,000 after buying an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in 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 buying an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,784,873,000 after buying an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently 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: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported earnings of $7.40 per share versus the $6.54 consensus estimate and revenue of $64.60 billion versus expectations of $63.34 billion. Revenue increased 26.1% year over year, supported by advertising growth and improved AI-driven ad performance. Meta Q3 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish: Guggenheim reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $850 price target, while Susquehanna, KeyCorp, Pivotal Research and Bank of America also raised or maintained positive ratings with targets ranging from $845 to $960. Meta analyst ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Muse is gaining traction: Meta said its AI assistant has surpassed 10 million users, while AI tools are reportedly increasing ad conversions, click-through rates and average ad prices. This supports the argument that AI is already strengthening Meta’s core advertising business. Meta Muse user growth
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares: Meta plans to issue nonvoting stock to help fund its AI expansion without reducing Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. The structure may improve funding flexibility but raises investor concerns about dilution and governance. Meta new stock class
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is overshadowing the earnings beat: Meta raised the low end of its 2026 capital-expenditure outlook to $135 billion, with potential spending as high as $145 billion. Investors are questioning how quickly Muse and other AI initiatives can generate returns, particularly as Muse carries high computing costs and Reality Labs is expected to lose about $15 billion next year. Meta AI spending concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Large legal liabilities add uncertainty: A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $25 billion over alleged privacy violations tied to Cambridge Analytica. Meta plans to appeal, but the verdict adds to recurring litigation expenses and regulatory risk. The company also faces an Australian class-action lawsuit alleging harm to children. Meta New Mexico privacy verdict

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company's principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.

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