Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Keeps Overweight Rating at KeyCorp

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at KeyCorp in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $900.00 target price on the social networking company’s stock. KeyCorp’s target price indicates a potential upside of 22.03% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $770.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Mizuho set a $750.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $945.00 price target (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 price target (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $801.53.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock traded down $24.96 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $737.54. The company had a trading volume of 16,114,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,509,559. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. Meta Platforms has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $647.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $622.44.

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

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,024. This trade represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Planning Navigators CORP raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Planning Navigators CORP now owns 1,046 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $759,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 19.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 4,718 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $3,421,000 after purchasing an additional 759 shares during the period. Fortress Financial Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $313,000. Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 26.5% during the third quarter. Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. now owns 492 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orca Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $201,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full AI models are strengthening its competitive position. Muse Wonder ranked second in a 57-model accounting benchmark, ahead of OpenAI and Google models, supporting the view that Meta is narrowing the gap with leading AI developers. Muse Wonder benchmark article
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $810 price target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850 and Truist maintained a bullish $1,000 target. Analysts cited Meta’s large user base, AI distribution and potential future revenue from personal AI agents. Bank of America AI outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded WhatsApp with free guest voice and video calling for non-account holders, potentially improving adoption and business utility by removing registration and download barriers. WhatsApp guest calling article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive but divided. KeyCorp and Rosenblatt reaffirmed bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively, while Goldman Sachs cut its target from $860 to $762 but retained a Buy rating. The differing views reflect uncertainty over AI monetization and investment requirements.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cited rising operating expenses, while other commentary warned that accelerated Meta Superintelligence Labs investment could pressure free cash flow and lead to valuation compression around the upcoming third-quarter earnings report.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan disclosed sales totaling 1,575 shares at an average $728.10. Both transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their signaling value, but the sales still represent a notable reduction in his direct holdings.

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.