Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price Up 2.2% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Meta Platforms' stock increased by 2.2%, closing at $753.42 after trading as high as $761.16.
• Equities analysts have raised their price targets for Meta, with Piper Sandler increasing their target to $880.00 and Bank of America to $900.00, reflecting strong demand and confidence in the stock's performance.
• In the latest quarterly earnings report, Meta Platforms reported $7.14 EPS, significantly surpassing analysts' estimates of $5.75, alongside a revenue increase to $47.52 billion.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 2.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $761.16 and last traded at $753.42. 5,406,299 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 14,867,715 shares. The stock had previously closed at $737.05.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on META shares. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $840.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $822.41.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $737.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $659.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.11, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.24.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The social networking company reported $7.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.75 by $1.39. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 39.99% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The business had revenue of $47.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $44.55 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.16 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. Meta Platforms has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 60,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $775.95, for a total value of $46,557,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 237,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,059,219.75. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,332 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $764.71, for a total transaction of $14,018,663.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 84,141 shares in the company, valued at $64,343,464.11. This represents a 17.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 312,767 shares of company stock worth $234,716,347 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Bare Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Evergreen Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 237.5% in the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 54 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.

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