Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target Raised to $770.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price target on Meta to $770 (from $765) with an "overweight" rating, implying about a 26.9% upside
• Meta posted a big Q1 beat (EPS $10.44 vs. $6.67 consensus; revenue $56.31B) but shares fell about 9.3% after hours as management sharply lifted 2026 capex for AI and may raise $20–$25B in bonds, triggering analyst downgrades and investor sell‑off.
• Insider selling has been notable (over 167k shares sold in 90 days under Rule 10b5‑1) while institutional ownership remains high at ~80%, highlighting mixed signals between exec liquidity and long‑term investor conviction.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $765.00 to $770.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the social networking company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target indicates a potential upside of 26.88% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Citizens Jmp restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $900.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and issued a $1,015.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $830.24.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 9.3%

Shares of NASDAQ META traded down $62.25 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $606.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 24,478,636 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,617,179. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 2.60. Meta Platforms has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $796.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $630.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $648.65. The stock has a market cap of $1.54 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.31.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.36 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.43 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 29.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total value of $386,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,847 shares in the company, valued at $2,565,949. This trade represents a 13.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $670.84, for a total transaction of $421,958.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 2,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,591,232.48. This represents a 20.96% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 167,155 shares of company stock worth $107,067,129. 13.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of META. Westchester Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. RHL Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Bayban raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 100.0% during the first quarter. Bayban now owns 70 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 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: Q1 outperformance — Meta posted a sizeable revenue and EPS beat (revenue ~$56.3B; EPS well above consensus), confirming robust ad momentum and AI monetization that support longer‑term growth. PR Newswire: Meta Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Creator payments pilot — Meta began offering USDC stablecoin payouts to select creators in Colombia and the Philippines, expanding payment options and cross‑border monetization tools for the creator economy. PYMNTS: Meta Begins Offering Stablecoin Payments to Creators
• Positive Sentiment: Energy/infra moves — Meta announced partnerships (space‑based solar and long‑duration storage) to secure continuous power for AI data centers, addressing a key operational/ESG risk tied to huge compute demand. InsiderMonkey: Meta Pursues Space Solar
• Positive Sentiment: Business AI traction — Meta says its business AI now facilitates ~10 million conversations per week, evidence that AI products are gaining usage and generating monetization opportunities. TechCrunch: Meta business AI usage
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/model tweaks — Some houses nudged FY estimates (small EPS tweaks) and remain split between buy vs. hold as they weigh valuation against the large capex ramp.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed — COO Javier Oliván sold shares under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan; notable in size but pre‑planned and not unusual for exec plans. SEC: Insider Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Massive CapEx raise — Management lifted 2026 capex guidance sharply to build AI data centers; investors see this as a near‑term cash‑flow/headwinds risk that outweighs the quarter’s beat. Reuters: Meta Lifts CapEx Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Planned bond sale to fund AI — Reports say Meta may raise $20–$25B in investment‑grade bonds to finance its AI expansion, underscoring how the capex program will be funded and adding financing/flexibility concerns. Invezz: Meta eyes up to $25B bond sale
• Negative Sentiment: After‑hours/early selloff — Despite the beat, shares dropped sharply in extended trading as markets punished the higher spend and mixed forward signals. Invezz: Meta stock sinks after earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and costly bets — The EU charged Meta under the Digital Services Act for failing to block under‑13 users (potential fines/compliance costs), and Reality Labs posted another multi‑billion loss; both increase execution and legal risk. Reuters: EU Charges Over Underage Users CNBC: Reality Labs Loss
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction — JPMorgan downgraded META to Neutral and several analysts cut targets after the guidance/capex move, amplifying selling pressure (downgrade reported by market sources).

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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