Meta Platforms’ (META) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at TD Cowen

TD Cowen reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $865.00 price target on the social networking company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $796.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $791.86.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $718.67 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.83 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.07, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $640.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $620.09. 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 (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Watchman Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the first quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the first quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $869,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the third quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $874,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWS Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the first quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Advertising remains the core bullish argument. Meta’s revenue increased 28% year over year to $60.8 billion in fiscal second-quarter 2026, and micro-drama content is emerging as a potential source of incremental advertising demand. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Meta’s AI-driven growth. TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $865 price target, while Wells Fargo sees a path toward a substantially higher valuation if AI improves ad performance and creates new revenue streams. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its AI ecosystem. The company’s Muse agent, enterprise AI platform and AI-enabled smart-glasses strategy could provide new commerce, productivity and hardware opportunities beyond traditional social-media advertising. Meta’s decision to ban ByteDance and TikTok advertising in several markets also intensifies its competitive positioning. Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Decision to Pull the Trigger on Meta’s A.I. Agent
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment is producing both growth and financial strain. Revenue growth is strong, but free cash flow fell to $784 million from $8.55 billion a year earlier as data-center and AI infrastructure spending surged. Investors need evidence that Muse and other AI projects can eventually generate returns. Meta’s Sales Jumped 28% While Free Cash Flow Shrank
• Negative Sentiment: Muse faces adoption and monetization obstacles. Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked the agent, while Amazon reportedly blocked it, potentially delaying Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered commerce. Analysts also question whether the service can become profitable at scale. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by one-third of websites tested
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and reputational risks remain a drag. Florida is pursuing restrictions on teen access and infinite-scroll features, while criticism surrounding the film The Social Reckoning and Meta’s handling of harmful AI-generated content could increase scrutiny. A planned-transaction sale by COO Javier Olivan adds a modest insider-selling concern. Meta Stock Falls as Florida Asks a Court to Switch Off Infinite Scroll for Teens

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.