Meta Platforms (META) Projected to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Key Points

• Meta is expected to report Q3 2026 results after the market closes on October 21. Analysts project earnings of $6.76 per share and revenue of $63.30 billion, following the prior quarter’s EPS miss despite 28% year-over-year revenue growth.
• AI is the central catalyst and risk. Meta’s new Muse AI models and strong early assistant retention are supporting bullish analyst views, but investors remain focused on whether the company’s planned $130 billion–$145 billion in capital spending can translate into meaningful monetization.
• Meta shares recently traded near their 12-month high, while Wall Street maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $796.51. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, yielding approximately 0.3%.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) is anticipated to announce its Q3 2026 results after the market closes on Wednesday, October 21st. Analysts expect Meta Platforms to post earnings of $6.76 per share and revenue of $63.30 billion for the quarter. Interested persons can find conference call details on the company's upcoming Q3 2026 earnings report page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at 4:30 PM ET.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Meta Platforms to post $27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year and $34.39 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META opened at $762.50 on Wednesday. The business's fifty day moving average is $647.53 and its 200 day moving average is $622.44. Meta Platforms has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.94 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Meta introduced Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, frontier AI models designed for complex, multi-step personal and professional tasks. The launch supports the view that Meta is catching up with OpenAI and Anthropic while creating potential subscription and advertising opportunities. Meta Platforms Introduces AI Tools to Fine-Tune Facebook Algorithms
• Positive Sentiment: Third-party app data reportedly showed strong early retention for Meta’s standalone Muse assistant, helping ease concerns about slowing downloads and reinforcing expectations that the company’s AI investments can improve engagement and monetization. Why Meta Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street support strengthened, with Truist assigning a $1,000 price target and KeyCorp and Rosenblatt reaffirming bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively. Analysts cited Muse adoption and AI-driven advertising improvements as catalysts. Social Media Stocks Rally as Truist Sets $1,000 Meta Target
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s partnership with Virtuix expanded, with Omni One orders reportedly tripling year over year after becoming available for Meta Quest. The development provides modest support for demand across Meta’s virtual-reality ecosystem. Virtuix Deepens Meta Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Facebook is giving users more control over feed-ranking algorithms. The move may improve user trust and engagement, although greater personalization controls could affect content distribution and ad performance. Facebook Gives Users More Algorithm Control
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain cautious about Meta’s premium valuation and substantial AI spending, with planned capital expenditures reportedly reaching $130 billion to $145 billion. Third-quarter results, scheduled for October 21, will be important for validating AI monetization and revenue guidance. Meta Q3 Preview

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on META shares. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 price target (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $796.51.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.08, for a total transaction of $688,763.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 7,878 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,735,814.24. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 three months, insiders have sold 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.

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