Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Rating Lowered by Erste Group Bank

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank downgraded Meta from a "buy" to a "hold", joining other brokers that cut ratings or price targets; consensus remains a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $827.60.
• Meta posted an earnings beat—EPS $7.25 vs $6.74 estimate and revenue $51.24B vs $49.34B—driving 26.2% year‑over‑year revenue growth and leaving the company with a $1.58 trillion market cap and a P/E of 27.72.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently, offloading 75,281 shares worth about $57.95 million in the last three months, though insiders still own 13.61% of the company while institutions hold roughly 79.9%.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Erste Group Bank from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on META. Benchmark downgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $875.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $808.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $827.60.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 1.1%

META traded up $6.75 during trading on Monday, hitting $628.46. 6,352,945 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,172,159. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.58 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.72, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.20. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $726.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $703.79. Meta Platforms has a 12-month low of $479.80 and a 12-month high of $796.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.74 by $0.51. The company had revenue of $51.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 30.89%.Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 26.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.03 EPS. Meta Platforms has set its Q4 2025 guidance at EPS. Analysts predict that Meta Platforms will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $628.00, for a total value of $325,932.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 27,237 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,104,836. This represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 465 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $716.97, for a total value of $333,391.05. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,947 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,697,760.59. This represents a 5.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 75,281 shares of company stock worth $57,948,936 in the last three months. Company insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westchester Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms by 237.5% in the second quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 54 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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