DA Davidson Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock

Key Points

• DA Davidson raised its price target on Meta to $850, implying roughly a 15.35% upside, and the Street’s consensus target is about $847.98 with most analysts classifying the stock as a "Moderate Buy."
• Q4 beat: Meta reported $59.89B in revenue and $8.88 EPS, topped estimates and gave stronger-than-expected Q1 revenue guidance, spurring multiple price-target raises as investors cite ad recovery and AI monetization.
• Key risks include a roughly $6.02B operating loss at Reality Labs and a large 2026 capex outlook of $115B–$135B, which could strain margins and capital allocation despite management’s optimistic guidance.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by DA Davidson from $825.00 to $850.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the social networking company's stock. DA Davidson's price target would suggest a potential upside of 15.35% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on META. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $1,117.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $850.00 price objective (up previously from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $860.00 price objective (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $847.98.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META traded up $68.15 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $736.88. The company had a trading volume of 49,479,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,279,410. The company has a market cap of $1.86 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.55, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. Meta Platforms has a 12-month low of $479.80 and a 12-month high of $796.25. The company has a fifty day moving average of $646.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $695.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.98.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,610 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Saturday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total value of $1,590,690.60. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 9,784 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,962,956.64. This trade represents a 21.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 6,875 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Saturday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total value of $4,190,037.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 88,370 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,857,980.20. This trade represents a 7.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,113 shares of company stock valued at $24,621,042. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of META. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth $23,155,393,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 73,443.1% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,417,003 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,212,506,000 after buying an additional 8,405,558 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,995,630 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $132,015,115,000 after acquiring an additional 7,269,279 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $64,158,971,000 after acquiring an additional 1,650,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,191,175,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and bullish guidance: Meta reported $59.9B revenue and $8.88 EPS, both above estimates, and guided Q1 revenue well above consensus — evidence that ad demand and AI-driven engagement are translating into revenue. CNBC: Meta beats on top, bottom lines, gives stronger-than-expected forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Strong Wall Street reaction: Multiple firms raised price targets and issued buy/outperform calls after the print (Wells Fargo, Deutsche Bank, Canaccord, JPMorgan, etc.), supporting momentum and reinforcing the view that ad recovery + AI monetization justify higher valuations. The Fly: price target raises
• Positive Sentiment: Market acceptance of AI spending: Management’s plan to accelerate AI investment (and investors’ positive reaction) signals confidence that infrastructure spending is starting to lift ad pricing and engagement rather than only drag on margins. MarketBeat: Meta soars after-hours
• Neutral Sentiment: Subscription experiments: Meta is testing premium tiers across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp — a potential revenue diversifier long term but with unclear near-term impact on ad revenue. CNET: Meta confirms subscription tests
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply deals validate buildout: Large supplier agreements (e.g., fiber/capacity deals) confirm the scale of the data‑center push — supportive for execution but signals continued capital intensity. CNBC: Corning deal
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs hemorrhaging cash: The XR/VR unit posted an approximately $6.02B Q4 operating loss — a persistent drag that keeps margin and capital-allocation risk front and center. CNBC: Reality Labs loss
• Negative Sentiment: Huge 2026 capex guide: Management flagged $115B–$135B in 2026 capex — a front‑loaded, multi‑year investment that raises near‑term margin and ROI questions despite management saying operating income should hold. Reuters: Capex rise
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: COO Javier Olivan disclosed small share sales (517 shares) — immaterial size but a note some investors track. 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.

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