Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target Cut to $715.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS lowered Meta’s price target to $715 from $766 but maintained a “buy” rating, implying 33.74% upside from the prior close. The broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of $794.73.
• Meta shares fell 8.7% to $534.64 after quarterly EPS of $6.18 missed estimates, despite revenue rising 28% year over year to $60.8 billion.
• Investor concerns center on Meta’s heavy AI investment, including projected capital expenditures of $130 billion to $145 billion and rising data-center lease obligations, while third-quarter revenue guidance came in below consensus.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by UBS Group from $766.00 to $715.00 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. UBS Group's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 33.74% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on META. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wedbush cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $671.00 to $595.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $785.00 price objective (down from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho set a $750.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $794.73.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 8.7%

Shares of META traded down $50.97 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $534.64. 32,955,657 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,820,453. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.35 trillion, a P/E ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 2.35. Meta Platforms has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $796.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $603.59 and a 200-day moving average of $624.24.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. The business's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 29.4 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.75, for a total value of $303,875.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,092,483.25. This trade represents a 12.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.85, for a total value of $508,770.45. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 6,290 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,823,376.50. This trade represents a 11.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 39,325 shares of company stock worth $23,979,087 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 34,551 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $20,230,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,456 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $5,537,000 after buying an additional 875 shares during the period. Headwater Capital Co Ltd increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 294.7% during the first quarter. Headwater Capital Co Ltd now owns 150,000 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $86,454,000 after buying an additional 112,000 shares during the last quarter. Dymon Asia Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $213,000. Finally, Capital & Planning LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth about $322,000. 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: Second-quarter revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, exceeding analysts’ expectations of approximately $60.2 billion. Advertising trends remained healthy, with ad impressions, pricing and Instagram engagement benefiting from AI-powered recommendations. Meta Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts maintained bullish ratings despite reducing their price targets. Truist, TD Cowen, DA Davidson, Cantor Fitzgerald and others still see substantial upside, suggesting the selloff may have improved Meta’s risk-reward profile if advertising growth continues. Analyst Price Target Updates
• Positive Sentiment: Meta highlighted potential longer-term monetization opportunities, including enterprise AI agents, new AI-enabled applications and possibly leasing excess computing capacity to outside customers. WhatsApp also reported record usage during the FIFA World Cup final. Zuckerberg lays out Meta’s AI capacity dilemma
• Neutral Sentiment: India summoned Meta executives after Facebook briefly restricted a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The incident adds regulatory and political scrutiny in a strategically important market, though no material financial impact was reported. India summons Meta executives
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings per share of $6.18 missed consensus estimates near $7.20 and fell from $7.14 a year earlier. Legal and severance charges, along with higher operating costs, weighed heavily on profit. Meta’s Stock Tumbles After Profits Disappoint
• Negative Sentiment: Meta plans to spend roughly $130 billion to $145 billion on capital expenditures this year, while operating cash flow was largely absorbed by AI infrastructure spending. Future lease obligations tied mainly to AI data centers reached $279 billion, up 53% in three months, intensifying concerns about cash flow, margins and balance-sheet risk. Meta narrows annual capex forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue guidance of $61 billion to $64 billion was below the roughly $63.2 billion analyst consensus. Investors also remain unconvinced that Meta has offered a clear timeline for converting its AI spending into meaningful incremental revenue. Meta leaves investors wanting more on AI monetization timeline

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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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