Pivotal Research Cuts Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Price Target to $910.00

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price target lowered by equities researchers at Pivotal Research from $930.00 to $910.00 in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the social networking company’s stock. Pivotal Research’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 36.08% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on META. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Arete Research set a $718.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citizens Jmp reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $900.00 price target (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $810.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $828.93.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $668.73 on Thursday. 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 50-day moving average of $646.63 and a 200-day moving average of $695.85. Meta Platforms has a 52 week low of $479.80 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.69 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.54, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29.

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

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,587 shares in the company, valued at $3,454,330.36. The trade was a 9.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total value of $341,860.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 28,658 shares in the company, valued at $18,876,738.02. The trade was a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 40,113 shares of company stock valued at $24,621,042 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $42,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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.