Rosenblatt Securities Reaffirms “Buy” Rating for Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by stock analysts at Rosenblatt Securities in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $886.00 price objective on the social networking company’s stock. Rosenblatt Securities’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 16.30% from the company’s previous close.

META has been the subject of several other reports. Moffett Nathanson lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $796.51.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 2.5%

NASDAQ META traded up $18.86 on Tuesday, hitting $761.82. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 15,503,121 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,476,549. The company’s 50-day moving average is $644.04 and its 200 day moving average is $621.26. The firm has a market cap of $1.94 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.70, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results 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). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm 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 predict that Meta Platforms will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% 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 90 days, insiders sold 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in META. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after acquiring an additional 105,154,977 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,510,123 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $12,036,491,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $12,013,948,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $7,230,426,000 after purchasing an additional 162,909 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s launch of the Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full AI models is the primary catalyst. The models are positioned to compete with offerings from OpenAI and Anthropic and could improve Meta’s Muse assistant and support new subscription revenue. Reuters article on Meta’s Muse Wonder models
• Positive Sentiment: Third-party data reportedly showed early Muse user retention rates rivaling ChatGPT, strengthening confidence that Meta’s large AI investment can generate meaningful user engagement and monetization. Yahoo Finance article on Muse retention
• Positive Sentiment: Truist issued a Street-high $1,000 price target, citing Muse adoption and Meta’s machine-learning advertising push. KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also reiterated bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively. 247WallSt article on Truist’s Meta price target
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s advertising business remains strong: second-quarter revenue increased 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, while improved ad conversions and AI-driven targeting continue to support growth expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded its Quest ecosystem partnership with Virtuix. Virtuix said Omni One orders rose approximately threefold following its Quest launch, potentially supporting demand for Meta’s virtual-reality hardware and platform. Virtuix Meta partnership announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are awaiting third-quarter earnings on October 21. Meta has guided for revenue of $61 billion to $64 billion, making results, outlook, AI spending and advertising trends key near-term catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary caution that Meta’s shares have already advanced substantially and trade at a premium valuation. Rising AI infrastructure costs and a planned $130 billion–$145 billion spending program could pressure margins and free cash flow.
• Negative Sentiment: Muse’s global download growth has slowed, and Meta’s latest earnings included an EPS miss despite strong revenue growth. Cantor Fitzgerald also trimmed its target to $840, underscoring valuation and execution risks. Wall Street Journal article on Muse and Meta’s AI model

About Meta Platforms

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.