Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Trading Up 3% – Time to Buy?

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) was up 3% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $619.46 and last traded at $610.68. Approximately 18,867,519 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 12% from the average daily volume of 16,815,338 shares. The stock had previously closed at $592.85.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta opened paid developer access to Muse Spark 1.3, with company executives and analysts claiming the model is approaching or matching offerings from Anthropic and OpenAI. Improved performance and token efficiency could support adoption in coding agents, model APIs, subscriptions and future generative-search advertising. Meta Platforms: Muse Spark 1.3 Was The Warning Shot
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage identifies Muse Spark 1.3 as a new catalyst that could improve confidence in Meta’s AI roadmap and help the company recover toward its prior highs, provided the technology translates into revenue and returns on investment. Meta Rises 4% as Muse Spark 1.3 Claims Parity with Anthropic and OpenAI
• Positive Sentiment: Some investment commentary views Meta as a major beneficiary of the ongoing AI infrastructure and computing cycle, alongside other hyperscalers, potentially creating a long-term growth opportunity. Hyperscalers Are the Backbone of AI

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Arete Research set a $735.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $640.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Phillip Securities raised shares of Meta Platforms to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $785.22.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 1.0%

The firm has a market cap of $1.57 trillion, a P/E ratio of 23.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s 50 day moving average is $596.16 and its 200-day moving average is $609.26. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company’s revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, insider Curtis Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $869,922.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,957 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,092,006. The trade was a 44.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 32,987 shares of company stock valued at $19,202,995 over the last ninety days. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 18,000 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $10,299,000 after buying an additional 2,670 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 133,798 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $88,319,000 after acquiring an additional 18,169 shares during the period. WMS Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $876,000. Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.9% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 625,079 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $352,101,000 after acquiring an additional 29,411 shares during the period. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 118,460 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $78,195,000 after acquiring an additional 2,871 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

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.