Rosenblatt Securities Boosts Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target to $886.00

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its target price increased by research analysts at Rosenblatt Securities from $883.00 to $886.00 in a research report issued on Thursday. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Rosenblatt Securities’ price target indicates a potential upside of 53.78% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on META. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $640.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $725.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Citizens Jmp cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $785.22.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $576.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.47 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.25. 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 $790.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $592.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $612.48.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 28.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $869,922.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,957 shares in the company, valued at $1,092,006. This represents a 44.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $561.56, for a total value of $280,780.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,943 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,652,671.08. This trade represents a 14.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 34,957 shares of company stock valued at $20,442,696 in the last ninety days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth $32,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: The settlement ends a major federal trial and removes the risk of potentially far larger damages. Meta will pay approximately $16.7 billion to $18 billion, an amount analysts characterize as manageable relative to the company’s profitability. The agreement also avoids a fundamental overhaul of Meta’s core advertising model, personalized recommendations or targeted advertising. Meta’s social media settlement leaves its money machine unscathed
• Positive Sentiment: Investors appear to view legal certainty as more important than the near-term cash cost. The payout represents roughly three to four months of profit, while the settlement limits the possibility of a damaging “Big Tobacco”-style outcome or restrictions on the broader business. What smart people are saying about Meta’s settlement
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta must introduce extensive protections for users under 18, including a two-hour daily usage limit, default blocking from midnight to 6 a.m., muted school-hour notifications, parental controls and stronger age-restricted-content safeguards. The measures are expected to take effect within six months and could become stricter if competitors adopt similar rules. New Teen Safety Measures for Instagram and Facebook Are Coming
• Negative Sentiment: The settlement could create a broader regulatory precedent. Officials in the U.K., Australia and South Korea are already urging Meta to apply the safeguards globally, potentially increasing compliance costs and reducing engagement among younger users. UK expects Meta to match US child safety measures
• Negative Sentiment: Implementation remains uncertain: critics question whether age-verification technology works reliably and whether the new design changes will be effectively enforced. Florida has also rejected the settlement, while Meta still faces thousands of separate youth-harm lawsuits. Meta’s child-safety deal hinges on age verification technology

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.