Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target Cut to $910.00 by Analysts at Pivotal Research

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price target lowered by analysts at Pivotal Research from $930.00 to $910.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Pivotal Research’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 36.08% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen cut Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Wedbush cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $920.00 to $880.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 19th. KeyCorp lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $835.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $900.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,117.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $828.93.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $668.73 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $646.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $695.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 1.98. The company has a market capitalization of $1.69 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.54, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. Meta Platforms has a 52 week low of $479.80 and a 52 week high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.89% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.02 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Meta Platforms will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $665.00, for a total transaction of $343,805.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 10,132 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,737,780. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.28, for a total value of $358,602.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,454,330.36. This trade represents a 9.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 40,113 shares of company stock worth $24,621,042. Insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in META. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $23,155,393,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 73,443.1% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,417,003 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,212,506,000 after purchasing an additional 8,405,558 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Meta Platforms by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $64,158,971,000 after buying an additional 1,650,435 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,191,175,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 192,591,101 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $142,149,566,000 after buying an additional 1,532,568 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and strong guidance — Meta reported $8.88 EPS and ~$59.9B revenue, beating estimates, and guided Q1 revenue above Street consensus; the print supports the thesis that AI is already lifting ad monetization. CNBC: Meta beats on top, bottom lines, gives stronger-than-expected forecast
• Positive Sentiment: After?hours rally and momentum — the beat + guidance sent META sharply higher in extended trading as traders priced faster growth and improving ad engagement metrics (Reels, ad impressions). Finbold: Here’s why Meta stock is soaring
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst reaction & upgrades — several firms refreshed price targets and reiterated Outperform/Buy calls after the results, supporting near?term investor confidence. Seeking Alpha: Meta: Set For New Highs In 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Product & revenue diversification tests — Meta is testing paid tiers for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp; potential long?term upside but unclear near?term impact on ad revenue. CNET: Meta confirms testing of premium subscriptions
• Neutral Sentiment: Supplier deals validate AI buildout — a multiyear Corning fiber?optic deal (up to ~$6B) signals real infrastructure expansion that supports future AI capacity but also locks in spending. CNBC: Corning deal
• Negative Sentiment: Huge 2026 capex guide — management forecasted a dramatic rise in AI capex (roughly $115B–$135B), a front?loaded spend that introduces margin and cash?return uncertainty despite management’s view that operating income will hold. Reuters: Capex rise
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs drag — the XR unit posted ~ $6.02B operating loss in Q4 and prior reporting shows multi?billion cash burns, keeping margin pressure and execution risk on the table. CNBC: Reality Labs loss
• Negative Sentiment: Minor insider selling — COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares (small relative to holdings), a note some investors track but not a major red flag. SEC filing: Insider sale

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.