Meta Platforms (META) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Meta Platforms, Inc. is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences. The company also invests in artificial intelligence, including AI assistants and tools designed to support users, creators and businesses.

Meta 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 and other technologies beyond social networking. Mark Zuckerberg serves as the company’s founder, chairman and chief executive officer, and Meta is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $726.20 to $741.58
• 50-Day Range: $539.03 to $777.59
• 52-Week Range: $520.26 to $779.82
• Volume: 12.94 million shs
• Average Volume: 23.02 million shs
• Market Capitalization: $1.85 trillion
• P/E Ratio: 27.42
• Dividend Yield: 0.29%
• Price Target: $787.86
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

Meta Platforms Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Meta Platforms scored higher than 86% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 40th out of 237 stocks in the communication services sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 3.1 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

Meta Platforms has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.88, and is based on 3 strong buy ratings, 44 buy ratings, 10 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Upside/Downside

The consensus price target for Meta Platforms is close to its current price, suggesting limited near-term upside or downside.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Meta Platforms has been the subject of 51 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 23.09%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Meta Platforms are expected to grow by 23.09% in the coming year, from $27.94 to $34.39 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Meta Platforms is 27.42, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 38.94.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Meta Platforms is 27.42, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Communication Services sector average P/E ratio of about 22.67.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Meta Platforms has a PEG Ratio of 1.26. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Meta Platforms has a P/B Ratio of 8.48. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 3.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.41% of the float of Meta Platforms has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Meta Platforms has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.57, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Meta Platforms has recently increased by 7.58%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Weak

Dividend Yield

Meta Platforms has a dividend yield of 0.29%, which is in the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Meta Platforms has only been increasing its dividend for 1 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Meta Platforms is 7.91%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Meta Platforms will have a dividend payout ratio of 6.11% next year. This indicates that Meta Platforms will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

News and Social Media

• Score: 3.6 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.80

News Sentiment

Meta Platforms has a news sentiment score of 0.80. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.45 average news sentiment score of Communication Services companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 213 news articles for Meta Platforms this week, compared to 15 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

Only 474 people have searched for META on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -4% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

256 people have added Meta Platforms to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 38% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.9 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Meta Platforms insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $103,032,319.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

13.53% of the stock of Meta Platforms is held by insiders. A high percentage of insider ownership can be a sign of company health.

Percentage Held by Institutions

79.91% of the stock of Meta Platforms is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 7/29/2026
• Record date for 9/28 Dividend: 9/21/2026
• Ex-Dividend for 9/28 Dividend: 9/21/2026
• Dividend Payable: 9/28/2026
• Today: 10/03/2026
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 10/28/2026
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2026

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Communication Services
• Industry: Interactive Media & Services
• Sub-Industry: Interactive Media & Services
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:META
• Previous Symbol: NASDAQ:FB
• CIK: 1326801
• Web: about.meta.com
• Phone: (650) 543-4800
• Fax: N/A
• Employees: 78,865
• Year Founded: 2004

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Meta Platforms: $787.86
• High Price Target: $1,000.00
• Low Price Target: $580.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +8.2%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.88
• Research Coverage: 57 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $26.55
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 27.42
• Forward P/E Ratio: 26.06
• P/E Growth: 1.26
• Net Income: $60.46 billion
• Net Margins: 29.83%
• Pretax Margin: 38.35%
• Return on Equity: 33.18%
• Return on Assets: 20.07%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.32
• Current Ratio: 2.23
• Quick Ratio: 2.23

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $200.97 billion
• Price / Sales: 9.23
• Cash Flow: $37.67 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 19.33
• Book Value: $85.88 per share
• Price / Book: 8.48

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 2,547,510,000
• Free Float: 2,202,828,000
• Market Cap: $1.85 trillion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 1.19