Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Rating Reaffirmed as Buy by TD Cowen

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by equities research analysts at TD Cowen in a research note issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $865.00 price target on the social networking company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 16.43% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. President Capital raised shares of Meta Platforms from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $660.00 to $897.00 in a report on Thursday, September 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $725.00 price target (down from $815.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $600.00 price target (down from $700.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a 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 issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $791.47.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock traded up $24.29 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $742.96. The company had a trading volume of 24,815,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,489,771. The company has a market capitalization of $1.89 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.19. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $640.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $620.20.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. The transaction 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, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Niles Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta unveiled Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, its most advanced AI models and first stated frontier-model effort. Meta says the models are competitive with offerings from OpenAI and Anthropic and are designed for digital assistants, professional work, and complex multi-step tasks. Meta releases Muse Wonder AI models to challenge Anthropic and OpenAI
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are encouraged by reports that third-party data show strong retention for Meta’s Muse AI agent. The models could strengthen Meta’s competitive position and create new monetization opportunities, including Muse subscription plans priced at $20 or $100 per month. Meta debuts Muse Wonder AI model
• Positive Sentiment: Meta will report third-quarter 2026 results after the market closes on October 21, giving investors a near-term catalyst to evaluate advertising trends, AI adoption, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook. Meta to Announce Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald lowered its Meta price target from $860 to $840 but maintained an Overweight rating, implying continued confidence in the long-term outlook despite more cautious valuation assumptions.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts continue to flag risks from Meta’s large AI infrastructure investment, potential job cuts, and high valuation. Muse downloads have reportedly slowed, making sustained user engagement and willingness to pay important tests for the new models. Meta Says New AI Model Is State-of-the-Art

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.