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It has been a rollercoaster year for the "Magnificent Seven" stocks, the name given to tech titans Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Tesla, and Meta Platforms (META +1.74%). Of the group, only Meta and Tesla are in the red for the year, down 1.2% and 18.8%, respectively, through market close on Sept. 10.

Both have their fair share of issues, but Meta is a struggling stock that seems to have plenty of upside from its current level. And if history is any indication of what's possible, you may regret not investing while it's having an off year.

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Why is Meta's stock struggling? No single issue is dragging down Meta's stock; it's a combination of factors, with the two main ones being its AI spending and its ongoing regulatory issues.

This year, Meta is slated to spend between $130 billion and $145 billion on AI-related projects, such as building data centers and other infrastructure. In the second quarter (Q2), it spent $31 billion, which, for perspective, is more than all but 26 public companies have made in profits in their past four quarters combined.

Meta's heavy spending weighed on its free cash flow, which fell from $13.2 billion in Q1 to $1.7 billion in Q2. As expected, investors are rarely happy when a company's spending slashes its free cash flow by so much.

META Capital Expenditures (Quarterly) data by YCharts

Regarding regulatory concerns, Meta recently reached a proposed settlement of up to $18 billion due to claims that its apps were purposely addictive and contributed meaningfully to teen mental health decline.

The court case had loomed over Meta for years, and although $18 billion isn't cheap, it's much less than what the company could have faced in a full trial. California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey had sought penalties up to $1.4 trillion. All things considered, Meta has probably never been happier to spend $18 billion.

Can Meta finally start justifying its spending? One of Meta's first attempts to address investor concerns over its AI spending is the recently announced release of its personal AI agent, Muse.

While companies like ChatGPT's creator, OpenAI, and Claude's creator, Anthropic, have pushed their enterprise and coding tools heavily, Muse is more consumer-focused. Of course, ChatGPT and Claude benefit consumers as well, but Muse is more of a personal assistant for everyday tasks. Meta's stock jumped more than 6% in after-hours trading on Sept. 8 after the release.

Time will tell just how effective (and lucrative for Meta) Muse ends up being, but the current bright side is that Meta has found a direct way to monetize its AI tools.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Meta is still an undeniable cash cow Stock price struggles aside, one thing you can't take away from Meta is how much money it keeps making. In the second quarter, total revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, with $59.4 billion coming from advertising across its Family of Apps (such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp).

Meta's main goal is to attract eyeballs, and it continues to do so at a high rate. It has 3.6 billion daily active users across its apps; Instagram has over 2 billion daily active users; and Threads now has over 500 million monthly active users.

Maybe more important than the user figures themselves is that Meta has increased how much it makes per user. Its average revenue per person jumped up 24% year over year to $16.86. More eyeballs and more money coming from eyeballs is a winning strategy for the social media giant.

With consistent growth and a strong financial position, Meta's stock looks like a good value right now, trading at 24.6 times its earnings. The only "Magnificent Seven" stocks trading lower are Amazon and Alphabet.

CM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 28.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,469 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 988 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up about 0.5% of CM Wealth Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. CM Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,517,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of META. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $69,502,379,000 after buying an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $22,152,075,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 488.1% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,466,595 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $3,608,445,000 after buying an additional 4,537,076 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 90,841,345 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $59,963,463,000 after acquiring an additional 4,395,763 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 56.2% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 10,043,955 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,629,913,000 after acquiring an additional 3,613,211 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance Meta Platforms stock opened at $648.03 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $790.80. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $601.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $608.74.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have recently issued reports on META. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $766.00 to $715.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $883.00 to $886.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Citizens Jmp reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $787.54.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Meta Platforms

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

Positive Sentiment: Muse gains early consumer traction: Meta’s new AI agent reportedly reached No. 2 or No. 3 on the U.S. App Store shortly after its launch. Muse can interact with social platforms and outside services, while paid tiers priced at $20 and $100 per month create a potential new revenue stream beyond advertising. Meta’s AI agent Muse is now the No. 2 app in the US Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded the stock: JPMorgan raised Meta to Overweight from Neutral and increased its price target to $820, citing meaningful growth potential from frontier AI models and agentic products. The upgrade helped reinforce the bullish view that Meta can diversify beyond advertising. JPMorgan upgrades Meta on AI models and agents Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure optionality: Analysts believe Meta’s large AI-compute investments could eventually support a cloud-computing or infrastructure business, adding an opportunity not currently reflected in the valuation. The company’s strong revenue growth and substantial cash resources support this investment thesis. Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Meta announced a $0.525-per-share dividend payable September 28 to shareholders of record September 21. While the yield is modest, the payout signals confidence in ongoing cash generation. Neutral Sentiment: Legal settlement viewed as manageable: Commentary suggests Meta’s potential $18 billion social-media-addiction settlement, spread over a decade, may have a limited impact on annual free cash flow. Resolving the litigation could also remove an overhang, but the headline liability remains material. Negative Sentiment: Monetization and privacy concerns: Muse’s usefulness depends on access to users’ inboxes, accounts and payments, raising adoption and privacy questions. Analysts remain uncertain about conversion rates and near-term revenue. Negative Sentiment: AI execution and regulatory risks: A prominent AI researcher is leaving Meta for Anthropic, while an internal effort to capture employee screens for AI training reportedly triggered resistance. Meta is also discussing possible teen social-media restrictions in South Korea, and TikTok rejected Meta advertisements urging participation in a child-safety settlement. Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 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 $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. This represents a 26.06% 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 60,183 shares of company stock worth $36,673,495. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Why Bitcoin ETFs May Be Worth Another Look as Inflows Rebound 3 Small-Cap Biotechs With Binary Catalysts on the Calendar Planet Labs Has Fallen Back to Earth, But Wall Street Still Sees a Rebound As Homeowners’ Premiums Surge, This Insurer Is Posting Record Profits Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report).

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Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total value of $13,005,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 244,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $159,003,864.48. The trade was a 7.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $648.03 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.41, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $601.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $608.94. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last released 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). The firm 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 for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 7.91%. Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd 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: Muse gains early consumer traction: Meta’s new AI agent reportedly reached No. 2 or No. 3 on the U.S. App Store shortly after its launch. Muse can interact with social platforms and outside services, while paid tiers priced at $20 and $100 per month create a potential new revenue stream beyond advertising. Meta’s AI agent Muse is now the No. 2 app in the US Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded the stock: JPMorgan raised Meta to Overweight from Neutral and increased its price target to $820, citing meaningful growth potential from frontier AI models and agentic products. The upgrade helped reinforce the bullish view that Meta can diversify beyond advertising. JPMorgan upgrades Meta on AI models and agents Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure optionality: Analysts believe Meta’s large AI-compute investments could eventually support a cloud-computing or infrastructure business, adding an opportunity not currently reflected in the valuation. The company’s strong revenue growth and substantial cash resources support this investment thesis. Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Meta announced a $0.525-per-share dividend payable September 28 to shareholders of record September 21. While the yield is modest, the payout signals confidence in ongoing cash generation. Neutral Sentiment: Legal settlement viewed as manageable: Commentary suggests Meta’s potential $18 billion social-media-addiction settlement, spread over a decade, may have a limited impact on annual free cash flow. Resolving the litigation could also remove an overhang, but the headline liability remains material. Negative Sentiment: Monetization and privacy concerns: Muse’s usefulness depends on access to users’ inboxes, accounts and payments, raising adoption and privacy questions. Analysts remain uncertain about conversion rates and near-term revenue. Negative Sentiment: AI execution and regulatory risks: A prominent AI researcher is leaving Meta for Anthropic, while an internal effort to capture employee screens for AI training reportedly triggered resistance. Meta is also discussing possible teen social-media restrictions in South Korea, and TikTok rejected Meta advertisements urging participation in a child-safety settlement. Analysts Set New Price Targets META has been the subject of several research reports. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $700.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $766.00 to $715.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Meta Platforms from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $640.00 to $820.00 in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $787.54.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms Company Profile (Get Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

See Also Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Rocket Lab Tackles a Supply Chain Bottleneck as the Stock Hunts for a Bottom. Time to Buy? Optical Cable Corporation Is Starting to Get the Market’s Attention Oil Above $100 Is Creating a New Opportunity Beyond the Major Producers Is Nike’s Index Demotion a Warning or a Buying Opportunity?

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Black Cypress Capital Management LLC lessened its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 3.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,699 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 936 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 9.7% of Black Cypress Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Black Cypress Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $14,476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vista Capital Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $794,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Objective Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Objective Capital Management LLC now owns 553 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $365,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Watchman Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,913,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Penney Financial LLC raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the first quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the first quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $869,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms In related news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total value of $13,005,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 244,516 shares in the company, valued at $159,003,864.48. This trade represents a 7.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $616.71, for a total value of $1,750,222.98. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 11,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,192,072.02. This represents a 19.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 61,581 shares of company stock valued at $37,512,295. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week: Positive Sentiment: Muse gains early consumer traction: Meta’s new AI agent reportedly reached No. 2 or No. 3 on the U.S. App Store shortly after its launch. Muse can interact with social platforms and outside services, while paid tiers priced at $20 and $100 per month create a potential new revenue stream beyond advertising. Meta’s AI agent Muse is now the No. 2 app in the US Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded the stock: JPMorgan raised Meta to Overweight from Neutral and increased its price target to $820, citing meaningful growth potential from frontier AI models and agentic products. The upgrade helped reinforce the bullish view that Meta can diversify beyond advertising. JPMorgan upgrades Meta on AI models and agents Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure optionality: Analysts believe Meta’s large AI-compute investments could eventually support a cloud-computing or infrastructure business, adding an opportunity not currently reflected in the valuation. The company’s strong revenue growth and substantial cash resources support this investment thesis. Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Meta announced a $0.525-per-share dividend payable September 28 to shareholders of record September 21. While the yield is modest, the payout signals confidence in ongoing cash generation. Neutral Sentiment: Legal settlement viewed as manageable: Commentary suggests Meta’s potential $18 billion social-media-addiction settlement, spread over a decade, may have a limited impact on annual free cash flow. Resolving the litigation could also remove an overhang, but the headline liability remains material. Negative Sentiment: Monetization and privacy concerns: Muse’s usefulness depends on access to users’ inboxes, accounts and payments, raising adoption and privacy questions. Analysts remain uncertain about conversion rates and near-term revenue. Negative Sentiment: AI execution and regulatory risks: A prominent AI researcher is leaving Meta for Anthropic, while an internal effort to capture employee screens for AI training reportedly triggered resistance. Meta is also discussing possible teen social-media restrictions in South Korea, and TikTok rejected Meta advertisements urging participation in a child-safety settlement. Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.6% META opened at $648.03 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $601.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $608.94. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $790.80. The company has a market cap of $1.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms recently issued reports on META. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price 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. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Susquehanna dropped 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. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Meta Platforms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $787.54.

View Our Latest Research Report on Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

See Also Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Rocket Lab Tackles a Supply Chain Bottleneck as the Stock Hunts for a Bottom. Time to Buy? Optical Cable Corporation Is Starting to Get the Market’s Attention Oil Above $100 Is Creating a New Opportunity Beyond the Major Producers Is Nike’s Index Demotion a Warning or a Buying Opportunity? Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Meta Platforms Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Meta Platforms and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Meta's Oversight Board asked the company not to replace fact-checking with Community Notes, according to a statement seen by AFP overnight Friday, after it said it was testing the crowdsourcing system in Latin America.

Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 24.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,747 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 938 shares during the quarter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,674,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of META. Abbot Financial Management Inc. increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 53.5% in the 2nd quarter. Abbot Financial Management Inc. now owns 2,845 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 991 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 17.4% during the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 18,000 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $10,299,000 after purchasing an additional 2,670 shares during the period. WMS Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $876,000. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.9% in the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 625,079 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $352,101,000 after purchasing an additional 29,411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 118,460 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $78,195,000 after buying an additional 2,871 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research firms recently commented on META. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $780.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Meta Platforms to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $787.54.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Meta Platforms Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:

Positive Sentiment: Muse gains early consumer traction: Meta’s new AI agent reportedly reached No. 2 or No. 3 on the U.S. App Store shortly after its launch. Muse can interact with social platforms and outside services, while paid tiers priced at $20 and $100 per month create a potential new revenue stream beyond advertising. Meta’s AI agent Muse is now the No. 2 app in the US Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded the stock: JPMorgan raised Meta to Overweight from Neutral and increased its price target to $820, citing meaningful growth potential from frontier AI models and agentic products. The upgrade helped reinforce the bullish view that Meta can diversify beyond advertising. JPMorgan upgrades Meta on AI models and agents Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure optionality: Analysts believe Meta’s large AI-compute investments could eventually support a cloud-computing or infrastructure business, adding an opportunity not currently reflected in the valuation. The company’s strong revenue growth and substantial cash resources support this investment thesis. Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Meta announced a $0.525-per-share dividend payable September 28 to shareholders of record September 21. While the yield is modest, the payout signals confidence in ongoing cash generation. Neutral Sentiment: Legal settlement viewed as manageable: Commentary suggests Meta’s potential $18 billion social-media-addiction settlement, spread over a decade, may have a limited impact on annual free cash flow. Resolving the litigation could also remove an overhang, but the headline liability remains material. Negative Sentiment: Monetization and privacy concerns: Muse’s usefulness depends on access to users’ inboxes, accounts and payments, raising adoption and privacy questions. Analysts remain uncertain about conversion rates and near-term revenue. Negative Sentiment: AI execution and regulatory risks: A prominent AI researcher is leaving Meta for Anthropic, while an internal effort to capture employee screens for AI training reportedly triggered resistance. Meta is also discussing possible teen social-media restrictions in South Korea, and TikTok rejected Meta advertisements urging participation in a child-safety settlement. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares in the company, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total transaction of $2,012,047.56. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. This trade represents a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 61,581 shares of company stock valued at $37,512,295. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $648.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $790.80. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $601.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $608.94. 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 (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Block Makes a Federal Trust Bank Move That Could Reshape Its Fintech Model Kroger’s Textbook Entry for Buy-and-Hold Investors AST SpaceMobile Looks to Extend Its 30-Day FCC Satellite Testing Window Amgen Drops 10% on a Trial It Didn’t Even Run

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First National Bank of Omaha trimmed its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 47,503 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 1,774 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for 0.8% of First National Bank of Omaha’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. First National Bank of Omaha’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $26,749,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% during the 4th 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 buying an additional 105,154,977 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at about $22,152,075,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 488.1% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,466,595 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,608,445,000 after acquiring an additional 4,537,076 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 90,841,345 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $59,963,463,000 after acquiring an additional 4,395,763 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 56.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 10,043,955 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,629,913,000 after buying an additional 3,613,211 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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

Positive Sentiment: Muse gains early consumer traction: Meta’s new AI agent reportedly reached No. 2 or No. 3 on the U.S. App Store shortly after its launch. Muse can interact with social platforms and outside services, while paid tiers priced at $20 and $100 per month create a potential new revenue stream beyond advertising. Meta’s AI agent Muse is now the No. 2 app in the US Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded the stock: JPMorgan raised Meta to Overweight from Neutral and increased its price target to $820, citing meaningful growth potential from frontier AI models and agentic products. The upgrade helped reinforce the bullish view that Meta can diversify beyond advertising. JPMorgan upgrades Meta on AI models and agents Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure optionality: Analysts believe Meta’s large AI-compute investments could eventually support a cloud-computing or infrastructure business, adding an opportunity not currently reflected in the valuation. The company’s strong revenue growth and substantial cash resources support this investment thesis. Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Meta announced a $0.525-per-share dividend payable September 28 to shareholders of record September 21. While the yield is modest, the payout signals confidence in ongoing cash generation. Neutral Sentiment: Legal settlement viewed as manageable: Commentary suggests Meta’s potential $18 billion social-media-addiction settlement, spread over a decade, may have a limited impact on annual free cash flow. Resolving the litigation could also remove an overhang, but the headline liability remains material. Negative Sentiment: Monetization and privacy concerns: Muse’s usefulness depends on access to users’ inboxes, accounts and payments, raising adoption and privacy questions. Analysts remain uncertain about conversion rates and near-term revenue. Negative Sentiment: AI execution and regulatory risks: A prominent AI researcher is leaving Meta for Anthropic, while an internal effort to capture employee screens for AI training reportedly triggered resistance. Meta is also discussing possible teen social-media restrictions in South Korea, and TikTok rejected Meta advertisements urging participation in a child-safety settlement. Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.6% META opened at $648.03 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $1.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $601.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $608.94. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $790.80. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last announced 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). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is 7.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts recently commented on META shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $640.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Meta Platforms from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $640.00 to $820.00 in a research note on Thursday. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $787.54.

Read Our Latest Report on Meta Platforms

Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total transaction of $13,005,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 244,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $159,003,864.48. This trade represents a 7.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 sold a total of 61,581 shares of company stock valued at $37,512,295 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Meta Platforms (Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Block Makes a Federal Trust Bank Move That Could Reshape Its Fintech Model Kroger’s Textbook Entry for Buy-and-Hold Investors AST SpaceMobile Looks to Extend Its 30-Day FCC Satellite Testing Window Amgen Drops 10% on a Trial It Didn’t Even Run Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report).

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Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the forty-seven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-four have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $787.5366.

A number of analysts have commented on META shares. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Arete Research set a $735.00 target price on Meta Platforms and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $648.03 on Friday. Meta Platforms has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $790.80. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $601.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $608.94. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 28.17 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $616.71, for a total transaction of $1,750,222.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 11,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,192,072.02. This trade represents a 19.57% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 61,581 shares of company stock valued at $37,512,295. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vista Capital Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $794,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Objective Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Objective Capital Management LLC now owns 553 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Watchman Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Penney Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the first quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the first quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $869,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

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

Positive Sentiment: Muse gains early consumer traction: Meta’s new AI agent reportedly reached No. 2 or No. 3 on the U.S. App Store shortly after its launch. Muse can interact with social platforms and outside services, while paid tiers priced at $20 and $100 per month create a potential new revenue stream beyond advertising. Meta’s AI agent Muse is now the No. 2 app in the US Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded the stock: JPMorgan raised Meta to Overweight from Neutral and increased its price target to $820, citing meaningful growth potential from frontier AI models and agentic products. The upgrade helped reinforce the bullish view that Meta can diversify beyond advertising. JPMorgan upgrades Meta on AI models and agents Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure optionality: Analysts believe Meta’s large AI-compute investments could eventually support a cloud-computing or infrastructure business, adding an opportunity not currently reflected in the valuation. The company’s strong revenue growth and substantial cash resources support this investment thesis. Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Meta announced a $0.525-per-share dividend payable September 28 to shareholders of record September 21. While the yield is modest, the payout signals confidence in ongoing cash generation. Neutral Sentiment: Legal settlement viewed as manageable: Commentary suggests Meta’s potential $18 billion social-media-addiction settlement, spread over a decade, may have a limited impact on annual free cash flow. Resolving the litigation could also remove an overhang, but the headline liability remains material. Negative Sentiment: Monetization and privacy concerns: Muse’s usefulness depends on access to users’ inboxes, accounts and payments, raising adoption and privacy questions. Analysts remain uncertain about conversion rates and near-term revenue. Negative Sentiment: AI execution and regulatory risks: A prominent AI researcher is leaving Meta for Anthropic, while an internal effort to capture employee screens for AI training reportedly triggered resistance. Meta is also discussing possible teen social-media restrictions in South Korea, and TikTok rejected Meta advertisements urging participation in a child-safety settlement. About Meta Platforms (Get Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

See Also Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Block Makes a Federal Trust Bank Move That Could Reshape Its Fintech Model Kroger’s Textbook Entry for Buy-and-Hold Investors AST SpaceMobile Looks to Extend Its 30-Day FCC Satellite Testing Window Amgen Drops 10% on a Trial It Didn’t Even Run

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Kalie Robins said the episode began when she shared what she called an “innocent” clip of herself singing in the car with one of her daughters.

Meta (META +0.57%) is finally launching meaningful products outside its core social media business.

*Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of Sept. 9, 2026. The video was published on Sept. 11, 2026.

Parkev Tatevosian, CFA has positions in Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Parkev Tatevosian is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through his link, he will earn some extra money that supports his channel. His opinions remain his own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool.

Investors evaluating AppLovin (APP +2.95%) and Meta Platforms (META +0.89%) are comparing two different approaches to digital advertising. One is a high-growth software specialist while the other is a global social media titan.

AppLovin provides the technology that helps mobile apps find and monetize users. Meta Platforms connects the world through its apps while selling highly targeted advertising space. Both companies are utilizing artificial intelligence to maintain their competitive advantages in 2026.

The case for AppLovinAppLovin serves as a critical bridge in the mobile economy by helping developers grow their businesses. Its core technology, Axon, uses artificial intelligence to match advertisements with the users most likely to engage with them. As one of the prominent tech stocks in the mobile space, it recently divested its internal apps business to focus entirely on third-party software solutions.

In FY 2025, revenue reached nearly $5.5 billion, representing a significant 70% increase over the prior year. This expansion was accompanied by net income of approximately $3.3 billion. The company achieved a net margin of 60.8%, which measures how much of every revenue dollar is kept as profit after all expenses.

As of its December 2025 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio was roughly 1.7x, which compares total debt to the value owned by shareholders. The current ratio, measuring the ability to cover short term obligations with current assets, was a strong 3.3x. Free cash flow for the period reached $3.9 billion, representing the cash remaining after paying for operating costs and capital investments.

The case for Meta PlatformsMeta Platforms operates the most expansive social network in the world through Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Its Family of Apps serves nearly 3.6 billion daily users, providing a vast audience for advertisers ranging from small businesses to global brands. The company is also investing heavily in its Reality Labs division to develop next-generation mixed-reality hardware and software.

For FY 2025, the company reported revenue of close to $201.0 billion, which grew by roughly 22.2% year over year. Net income for the period was approximately $60.5 billion. Meta maintained a net margin of 30.1%, demonstrating its ability to generate high levels of profit even while investing billions into future technologies.

According to its December 2025 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio was approximately 0.4x, indicating a relatively conservative use of debt. The current ratio stood at roughly 2.6x, providing a healthy cushion for day to day operations. Free cash flow was highly robust at $46.1 billion, allowing the company to fund its ambitious AI research and return capital to shareholders.

Risk profile comparisonAppLovin faces intense competition from global technology leaders that control the mobile operating systems. Its growth is partially dependent on the policies of Apple (AAPL +2.12%) and Google regarding data privacy and app distribution. Furthermore, the company must manage the integration of recent acquisitions and address ongoing federal securities class action litigation regarding its financial disclosures.

Meta Platforms relies heavily on advertising revenue, which can be sensitive to broader economic downturns and shifts in consumer spending. The company faces a complex web of global privacy regulations like the GDPR and has recently settled significant litigation involving youth safety. Continued high spending on AI and virtual reality also carries the risk that these expensive investments may not generate immediate financial returns.

Valuation comparisonAppLovin carries a much higher premium relative to its annual sales.

MetricAppLovinMeta PlatformsForward P/E17.4x19.9xP/S ratio15.3x7.3xValuation metrics sourced from Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) and may differ from other data providers.

I'd go with Meta, though AppLovin has built one of the most profitable software businesses in digital advertising, with margins that most companies would envy and an AI engine expanding into new verticals. AppLovin's Q2 revenue miss and below-consensus guidance were disappointing, but the underlying business model is sound.

Meta's Q2 was messy on the surface. Earnings missed estimates as legal charges, severance costs, and a dramatic increase in AI infrastructure spending all hit at once. But strip those one-time items out and the core advertising business is performing at the highest level in years. Revenue grew at a strong double-digit rate, more than 3.5 billion people used a Meta app every single day, and Instagram crossed 2 billion daily active users for the first time.

Meta is betting enormous amounts of capital on AI, which introduces uncertainty worth taking seriously. But the scale of its user base and advertising platform gives it a foundation that AppLovin simply cannot match. For a long-term investor, owning the platform that reaches more than half the world's population is a stronger starting point.

Meta just put a price tag on its AI ambitions, and the number reveals something uncomfortable about how dependent the company still is on a single revenue stream that has nothing to do with subscriptions.

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On Tuesday morning, CNBC’s Julia Boorstin reported that “Meta is unveiling a personal AI agent that Mark Zuckerberg has been teasing for months”, a product Meta calls Muse that ships as a standalone app and inside WhatsApp.

Boorstin said Muse “gives users a personalized agent which can act like an assistant. It can monitor security cameras, file, fill in paperwork, find items to buy, or can book tee times.”

The key number: Meta released Muse with a free tier and two paid tiers, the higher-priced at $100 a month, positioning the product between OpenAI’s $20 ChatGPT Plus and its $200 Pro plan.

For shareholders in Meta (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction), this matters because every dollar the company has earned from consumers historically came from advertising sold against free products. Asking a Facebook user to hand over a credit card each month is a genuinely new business model.

The stock is not acting as the market has priced that in. META closed at $613.48 on Tuesday, down 18.19% over the last year.

Why the Pricing Matters More Than the Feature List Meta AI Chief Alex Wang said, “We are incredibly excited about consumer AI. And we see today a very small number of people who have really experienced the power of advanced agents in these new models.” The category is wide open, but nobody has proven consumers will pay a subscription for a personal agent at any price, let alone $100 a month.

The pricing itself signals to Wall Street that Meta is moving beyond its core story. The company has spent years telling investors AI would show up as better ad targeting, with $59.36 billion in advertising revenue in Q2.

A paid tier creates a recurring line item independent of ad load and gives Zuckerberg a way to defend the $130 to $145 billion in 2026 capital expenditure the company just guided to.

Why WhatsApp Is the Real Weapon OpenAI and Anthropic have mindshare. Meta has a messaging app installed on billions of phones.

Meta ended Q2 with 3.6 billion daily active people across its family of apps, and management said WhatsApp is the leading surface where people engage with Meta AI. Business agents are the proof of concept: more than 1 million businesses already use them weekly on WhatsApp and Messenger.

Compare that to Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), which reaches consumers through a Gemini App with 950 million monthly active users, and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), which reaches workers through 30 million Copilot paid seats sold at roughly $30 per user per month.

WhatsApp lets Meta skip the acquisition funnel. Users don’t download anything, and payment flows through a channel they already trust.

What the Paid Tiers Say About Meta’s AI Spending Meta’s Q2 free cash flow collapsed to $784 million from $8.55 billion a year earlier, with capital spending hitting $31.1 billion in the quarter alone. Long-term debt climbed to $83.66 billion to fund the buildout. Full details are in the Q2 8-K.

Analysts have noticed, with 45 downward EPS revisions for fiscal 2026 in the last 30 days against only 4 upward.

A $100-a-month subscription is how Zuckerberg starts answering the return-on-invested-capital question. Even modest paid conversion across a billion-user surface would meaningfully change the revenue mix.

Alphabet is monetizing AI through Cloud, which grew 82% year over year in Q2. Microsoft is monetizing it through per-seat Copilot and Azure, which crossed $100 billion in annual revenue. Meta is the only one of the three still searching for a repeatable AI revenue line outside advertising, and the picks-and-shovels names powering all three buildouts (we rounded up seven of them in a free report on the AI infrastructure trade) are the ones capturing the capex right now.

The Setup Now With META Stock The stock trades at a forward P/E of 18x, a discount to Microsoft’s 27x multiple, with an analyst target of $754.77.

Muse is late to a market where ChatGPT already owns the noun. Distribution alone rarely closes a product gap, although WhatsApp is the closest thing to an unfair advantage anyone has brought to this fight.

The bear case: free cash flow is thin, capex is climbing, and consumers may not pay $100 a month for an agent that overlaps with cheaper tools they already use.

The bull case: Meta’s ad business is still growing 27%, the valuation is reasonable, and any paid AI revenue is upside the market has not underwritten.

The setup favors investors who can tolerate capital-spending headline risk through 2027. If Muse conversion disappoints by next summer, that thesis has to be revisited.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Meta's new AI agent Muse shot to third on the US App Store in two days, but the feature that makes it genuinely useful is the same one giving analysts pause: it needs your inbox, your accounts, and possibly your…

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Mark Zuckerberg has spent the past year telling investors that “personal superintelligence” would arrive through Meta (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) apps that billions of people already open every day. Muse launched at the end of August and climbed to third place on the United States App Store within two days. JPMorgan responded with an Overweight upgrade tied to Muse’s early traction.

An App Store ranking captures downloads over a short window, while engagement and revenue remain the metrics that matter. The more interesting question is what Muse asks of you: the agent is only useful in proportion to how much of your digital life it can access. That is also why some analysts are unconvinced.

What Muse Actually Does Muse is pitched as a general-purpose assistant that manages email, plans travel, books restaurants, monitors subscriptions, compares prices, and completes purchases with user approval. To do any of that, it needs access to your inbox, calendar, accounts, and, in some cases, payment credentials.

Meta says you approve each action, can revoke connections at any time, and receive an activity log. On the July earnings call, Zuckerberg said Meta launched incognito mode on WhatsApp and the Meta AI app so private conversations remain hidden, and framed privacy as “a fundamental part of the agents that we’re building.” After integrating Muse Spark, Meta saw “a 60% increase in the number of people interacting with the assistant each day.”

The transcript does not specify how Muse handles email passwords or stored payment secrets. An Oppenheimer analyst questioned whether ordinary consumers will hand a social-media company the keys to their inbox.

Distribution Is the Real Advantage Meta’s advantage over a standalone AI startup is reach. Family of Apps daily active people hit 3.6 billion in the second quarter, and more than 1 million businesses already use Meta’s business agents on WhatsApp and Messenger every week.

Three plausible Muse revenue lines exist: subscriptions, shopping commissions when the agent completes a purchase, and business services sold to merchants. Zuckerberg described a “business in a box” ambition with subscription, volume, and performance-based pricing. The Brazilian rental-car company Movida saw a 44% increase in daily bookings through WhatsApp after deploying an agent, with 85% of conversations resolved without a human.

Costs are heavier than revenue today. Meta’s second-quarter free cash flow collapsed to $784 million from $8.55 billion a year earlier, with full-year capex guided to $130-145 billion. All of that spending flows to the power, cooling, and networking suppliers behind the data centers, and we profiled seven of them in a free report on the AI infrastructure buildout.

Trust as the Bottleneck Usefulness and intrusiveness are the same property. If you want Muse to catch a fraudulent charge or rebook a canceled flight, it needs account access, and each connection widens the blast radius of any breach.

Meta’s regulatory history does not help the pitch. The company took $2.4 billion in legal charges in the second quarter alone and still faces U.S. trials scheduled for the year that may result in material losses tied to youth safety.

Meta trades at a P/E of 23x after slipping 14.03% over the past year, with the stock at $644.38. The ad engine still grew 27% while Muse gives the capex story a consumer product to point to. On the current valuation and distribution advantage, META screens favorably for investors researching names that can tolerate the capex cycle and legal overhang.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Bloomberg/Getty Images This spring, members of Meta's elite AI unit, TBD, decided that the social media giant needed an edge in the AI race. The edge they were looking for? Data from tens of thousands of Meta employees.

Meta introduced a program to collect data from employees for AI training, called Model Capability Initiative (MCI). Employees' keystrokes and mouse movements could help Meta's AI replicate how humans use computers, a critical task as AI labs race to automate white-collar work like coding and accounting.

But Meta had a very human problem: its own employees, who revolted over the mandatory project as soon as it was announced. Their resistance took the form of flyers, memes, and a viral petition against what some characterized as "the Eye of Sauron." Organizers say that their constant pressure forced Meta to make concessions and eventually drop the program.

Corporate data has become a gold mine for training AI because it helps algorithms deal with messy, real-world work environments — and workers are increasingly fighting back. Former Spirit Airlines flight attendants temporarily blocked Google from buying the bankrupt airline's database for $10 million. Over 1,800 Meta employees signed a petition calling for the company's internal tracking to be stopped.

Meta halted the tracking program after an internal data leak this summer, saying it would switch to being opt-in only. Two months later, Meta says the program remains suspended. The company declined to comment further for this article.

This story is part of a new series called The AI Data Grab, examining how companies are racing to collect as much data as possible to build the world's most advanced AI systems. For this story, Business Insider interviewed half a dozen current and former Meta employees, and reviewed internal posts and other materials to uncover new details about how the program began, how workers fought it, and the leak that brought it to a halt.

How Meta began its MCI programThe MCI program originated within Meta's AI unit, called TBD, a group of about 100 researchers widely considered the tip of the spear of the tech giant's AI efforts.

One of the leaders of the effort was Rylan Schaeffer, three people told Business Insider. Schaeffer reported to two people at the apex of Meta's AI efforts: its AI chief, Alexandr Wang, and a top researcher, Jack Rae. According to his LinkedIn, Schaeffer left Meta in July to work on something new. He didn't respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

TBD members rarely interact with Meta's legions of other employees, working in a separate area within Meta's Menlo Park campus, according to two people familiar with the matter. Their online workplace profiles are sparse, displaying few details beyond their name — unlike more typical profiles, which showcase people's managers and what they're working on.

One April morning, Meta announced the MCI program to the wider workforce.

"While AI models excel at research and technical skills like coding, they still lack some of the basic ways that humans use computers like choosing from dropdowns and keyboard shortcuts," an internal announcement read.

The announcement drew an immediate backlash and a slew of angry-face emojis after Meta's chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, said there would be no opting out.

"This makes me super uncomfortable" was the top-rated comment in response to the announcement.

Bosworth would become a lightning rod inside Meta for his staunch defense of MCI.

He touted its strict privacy guardrails after a cybersecurity engineer asked how Meta would secure the data the program collects and accused the AI division of "moving fast and implementing security as an afterthought."

Bosworth replied, "That isn't remotely a fair characterization! How would any of this end up in 'the open'? This is tightly controlled data."

Meta employees fight the 'Eye of Sauron'The intense online backlash spurred a grassroots movement from Meta employees. Workers feared MCI would capture sensitive data that US workers plugged into their laptops, such as passwords, immigration forms, and credit card numbers, two organizers told Business Insider.

Some workers said they also feared that the screen capture data would be used to replace scores of Meta employees with AI — a risk many hadn't taken that seriously before, a third organizer said, calling it a "big reality check."

Employees posted anti-AI memes in an internal Meta employee channel. One meme seen by Business Insider portrayed Meta's management as the omniscient villain, Christof, from "The Truman Show." Employees jokingly dubbed the icon that appeared whenever MCI recorded their screens "the Eye of Sauron."

An anti-MCI petition gained steam, garnering over 1,800 signatures. Staffers spelled out the link to the MCI petition on a building at Meta's Burlingame office.

Meta workers protested the MCI program by putting up letters at Meta's Burlingame office.  Courtesy of an anti-MCI organizer. A small group of activists within Meta spread flyers around campuses, making sure they included language from the National Labor Relations Act that speaking out against workplace issues is protected, one of the organizers said.

In what the activists viewed as an early concession, Meta allowed employees to temporarily opt out of the tracking program for up to 30 minutes in June, during which they could perform more sensitive tasks they didn't want ingested by an AI model.

It wasn't enough for Meta's anti-MCI activists, who called it "insufficient and unsatisfactory" in a statement to Business Insider at the time.

"We demand, and will continue to demand, that Mark and his leadership team scrap MCI entirely, immediately, forever," they wrote, referring to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Soon, Meta's own security decisions would force its leadership to take drastic action.

'Hey Metamate, define the word 'hubris' for me'In late June, Meta engineers woke up to an internal post that had gone viral among employees. An engineer had discovered that data collected by MCI had been viewable across the entire company all along, including full private conversations.

In an internal post, one employee wrote they were "incensed" that the scenario that some had warned about had come to pass. Their post was titled "MCI Data: Not So Tightly Controlled" and screenshotted Bosworth's earlier comment defending MCI's security.

"Hey Metamate, define the word 'hubris' for me," another employee commented, referring to Meta's internal AI assistant.

"I swear we're probably the richest yet most incompetent company to exist in tech right now," another chimed in.

Within hours, Meta turned off MCI. It told Business Insider that it suspended — but not outright canceled — the program and that, going forward, it would be optional.

Whether the data proved useful is another question. In a July Q&A with executives, a Meta manager said it had not been used to train its latest AI models, according to another person familiar with the matter. At a July town hall, Bosworth said the data was more useful than Meta thought it would be, according to two people familiar with the matter. Meta declined to comment on how, and if, the data was used.

Companies may think twice about harvesting employee dataBosworth has made his position clear: MCI opponents didn't improve Meta.

"They made the entire company worse," he said — three times — in a leaked July audio recording published by the activist group More Perfect Union.

"I think the people who put up that petition on MCI thought they were helping. They weren't helping; they made it a lot harder for us to make changes internally," he said.

To the people who worked against MCI, the opposite is true. Despite mass layoffs, they came together to push back against the harvesting of their data. They say their activism forced Meta to make the program opt-in, if it's ever reintroduced.

"This would not have happened without brave acts of employee resistance," the MCI Petition website reads.

After the intense backlash from Meta employees, other companies will think twice about forcing workers to give up their data to train them, said William Fitzgerald, the founder of advocacy and communications firm The Worker Agency.

"It was a historic win," he said. "Zuckerberg wanted more data — he tried to do it this way, but it didn't work."

Have a tip? Contact Charles via email at [email protected] or on Signal and WhatsApp at 628-282-2811. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

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Charles Rollet You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.

Charles Rollet is Business Insider's tech correspondent in San Francisco, where he focuses on breaking major news about the AI industry. In 2025, he led an investigation which revealed that Scale AI had inadvertently exposed confidential data about its workers and clients. In 2026, he was the first to break the news that Meta had halted a controversial keystroke tracking program.Prior to joining BI, Charles worked at TechCrunch covering startups and VC in San Francisco. Before that, he was based in Southeast Asia for a decade, where his work won a Gerald Loeb award and was nominated for a Society of Publishers in Asia award. His reporting on the surveillance industry led to US human rights sanctions on five Chinese security camera manufacturers.Charles is especially interested in how frontier AI models are built and trained. He has a master's degree in business reporting from NYU and a bachelor's degree in history from Northwestern.You can contact Charles securely on Signal at charlesrollet.12 or +1-628-282-2811. Charles keeps sources anonymous. Please use a non-work device to reach out.

Exclusive Meta AI More The AI Data Grab

Meta Announces Quarterly Cash DividendPR Newswire

MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 10, 2026

, /PRNewswire/ -- The Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) board of directors today declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share of the company's outstanding Class A common stock and Class B common stock, payable on September 28, 2026 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on September 21, 2026.

About Meta
Meta is building the future of human connection, powered by artificial intelligence and immersive technologies. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving toward building experiences that foster deeper connections and unlock new possibilities.

Contacts

Investors:
Chad Heaton
[email protected] / investor.atmeta.com

Press:
Matt Tye
[email protected] / meta.com/news

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meta-announces-quarterly-cash-dividend-302875821.html

SOURCE Meta

Disclosures I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.

Click for the complete disclosure

MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) board of directors today declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share of the company's outstanding Class A common stock and Class B common stock, payable on September 28, 2026 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on September 21, 2026.

Top AI researcher Andrew Tulloch ditches Meta to work on training and inference at Anthropic By You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.

Anthropic's developer conference in May. Don Feria/AP Content Services for Anthropic After less than a year at Meta, the prominent AI researcher Andrew Tulloch is leaving for Anthropic.

He'll start next week, an Anthropic spokesperson told Business Insider, and work on the startup's inference and performance team, where he'll aim to optimize the training of Anthropic's AI models and how they respond to users.

As AI's talent wars steam on, Tulloch has become one of the most sought-after researchers. He had worked at Meta for 11 years prior to this latest stint, leaving for OpenAI in 2023. At OpenAI, he helped train its GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, and o3 models. He then cofounded Thinking Machines Lab in 2025.

Last year, while he was working at the AI startup, he turned down a pay offer from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg that could have totalled $1.5 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. He ended up decamping for Meta in October.

Now, Tulloch will bring that extensive experience to Anthropic.

Tulloch and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment. He's leaving the social media giant shortly after it launched Muse, an AI agent meant to autonomously complete tasks for users.

Anthropic, Meta, OpenAI, Google, and other tech companies have been in a pitched battle for AI researchers since the release of ChatGPT, giving experienced workers like Tulloch a great deal of leverage — and earning power.

Semafor first reported that Tulloch was leaving Meta.

For Anthropic, the hire may offer some calm in an intense moment. The company is preparing for its initial public offering, dueling with rivals for business, and reckoning with mounting concerns about the adverse effects of AI.

The researcher Jacob Coxon sparked a wave of concern this week when he announced that he'd resigned from Anthropic and wrote that the "people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade."

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected], or over text, Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 415-757-8198. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

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Stephen Council You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.

Stephen is a senior tech reporter at Business Insider, covering OpenAI, Anthropic and the ecosystem around the leading artificial intelligence companies.Previously he covered technology at SFGATE, and has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Information and CNBC. He studied journalism and economics at Northwestern University.His work has earned an SF Press Club Investigative Reporting Award and, in 2025, SPJ NorCal’s Excellence in Journalism Award for Technology Reporting.Stephen lives in San Francisco. Contact him via email at [email protected], or on Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 415-757-8198. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

AI Meta Anthropic More Mark Zuckerberg

Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) was one of the better-performing large-cap stocks on Wednesday, with investors positively reacting to the company’s Muse personal AI agent rolling out. The stock surge helped boost the wealth of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.

• Meta Platforms shares are consolidating. Where is META stock headed?

Zuckerberg’s Wealth SoarsThe increase in Meta’s stock price Wednesday helped boost the net worth of Zuckerberg by $13.7 billion, helping bring him near his starting year total.

This took Zuckerberg’s overall net worth to $232 billion, ranking sixth worldwide, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Zuckerberg is now down $1.3 billion in his net worth year-to-date, ranking as the richest person in the world to be down in net worth in 2026. Three of the top 10 richest billionaires overall are down year-to-date.

The $13.7 billion gain marked the highest daily gain among all the world’s richest and made Zuckerberg the only top 10 billionaire who was positive in net worth gains and losses Wednesday.

In fact, the top 10 billionaires lost a combined $40.35 billion Wednesday even with Zuckerberg’s gain factored in.

Zuckerberg now finds himself closer to Michael Dell, who ranks fifth with a net worth of $254 billion.

Read Next

Meta’s Roller Coaster 2026Meta stock trades slightly down on Thursday, giving back a portion of the previous day’s gains. With the latest move, the stock is down 0.1% year-to-date or nearly flat in 2026.

Wednesday’s share price was the highest for Meta since July, and also Zuckerberg’s highest net worth since that period when he was worth $241 billion.

Meta stock hit all-time highs in 2025 and has failed to hit new highs in 2026.

The stock saw a 2026 peak in late January before hitting yearly lows in March.

Shares rebounded into a rally in May followed by a drop in June ahead of the July rally. Meta stock now trades at its highest level since then, but the question is whether the latest rally can hold or if shares will continue the pattern of selling off on positive news.

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Meta is beginning to win over Wall Street following Tuesday’s launch of its new AI app, Muse. The tech giant’s push into agentic AI is also a hot topic on X among industry players. Now, early numbers offer better insight into how popular Muse actually is among its target market of U.S. consumers.

According to new data provided by the market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, Muse has been downloaded north of 83,000 times on iOS in the United States. (The app is currently limited to the U.S. for now.)

While this pushed Muse into the No. 2 position on the App Store’s Top Charts, its launch pales when compared with other recent app debuts from Meta, like Threads and Meta AI, the data indicates. For instance, Threads was downloaded more than 4.3 million times in the U.S. on its launch day, and the Meta AI app saw 108,000 U.S. downloads during its debut.

Muse is also further behind when compared with another notable consumer AI app’s launch: ChatGPT. In less than a week after its arrival, ChatGPT had topped half a million installs in the U.S., which was also its only market at the time. If that spread was divided evenly, that would mean ChatGPT was seeing an average of 83.3K downloads daily at its debut — a number that it took Muse twice the time to achieve.

None of this necessarily means that the Muse launch is going poorly — it may just be taking off at a slightly slower pace. The app is still climbing the charts on iOS, having moved up from the 4th position on the U.S. App Store on Wednesday to now No. 2 as of today.

Its Android counterpart, however, is faring less well. Muse has only achieved a rank of No. 338 in the Productivity category on Google Play’s app marketplace. (Its Android download numbers aren’t yet available.)

Muse is also available via the web and through WhatsApp, neither of which are being counted in these estimates.

Still, Muse’s numbers, while early, are worth watching as the app represents one of Meta’s bigger bets to date. In short, the company believes that agents that work to get things done on people’s behalf will be the future of consumer AI — and it’s staking its claim on this emerging market. (It’s at least as significant a move as when the company rebranded from Facebook to chase its metaverse ambitions as Meta!)

Meta, of course, is not alone in its pursuit of consumer-facing agentic AI. Every company has a horse in this race, it seems, from Google’s Gemini Spark to Anthropic’s Claude Cowork and beyond. But for simple-to-use agents aimed at the everyday person, the competition for now is between Meta’s Muse and Instinct, a new AI agent that works over text messages and was recently valued at $2.5 billion.

Despite security concerns and an overly broad and permissive privacy policy, Silicon Valley insiders have been raving about Instinct’s capabilities.

While there are plenty of other agents that focus more narrowly on things like managing work or family life, Instinct seems to be the one to beat, given the $350 million it now has at its disposal and the speed with which it’s shipping new features. This week, for example, Instinct has rolled out email addresses for all its users, and just announced it’s building its own social network of sorts — that is, one person’s Instinct agent can now talk to those belonging to their friends to coordinate plans.

If agents are the future, then Instinct’s ability to build a new social graph based on who people actually talk to and hang out with in real life could be ultimately more valuable than Meta’s friend graph, which is a mix of people users actually know and those they just follow.

Over the past several days, Instinct also launched integrations with Stripe and 1Password, and a location-sharing feature so the agent can take on actions that require knowing your current location.

Muse’s launch timing could be another factor impacting its debut numbers. The agent, which requires users to provide Meta with more of their personal information, arrived only days after Meta agreed to a massive $18 billion multistate settlement in a lawsuit over social media’s consumer harms. The company’s reputation has also taken many other legal hits over the years, as it’s been involved in massive data scandals and has been targeted and fined multiple times by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over privacy violations.

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Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.

You can contact or verify outreach from Sarah by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at sarahperez.01 on Signal.

Anmuth says early Muse usage is running at 10 times the training cohorts Summary

JPMorgan upgraded Meta to overweight and raised its December 2027 target to $820 from $640.

Meta Platforms Inc. META rose 0.78% premarket after JPMorgan upgraded it to overweight from neutral and raised its December 2027 price target to $820 from $640, implying more than 25% upside. The average target across analysts sits near $750. Analyst Doug Anmuth pointed to Muse, the AI agent Meta launched this week, which hit third in the US app store on its second day with early usage running at 10x the training cohorts.

Anmuth wrote that Meta is "well-positioned to deliver consumer-driven AI products to its base of ~4B users, and that scaled distribution is a significant competitive advantage." He expects the rebound to continue, with the company still early in releasing frontier models and AI products beyond advertising.

The stock is up 20% from an August low, helped by settling social-media trials last month, and gained 6.6% on Wednesday as analysts responded to Muse. After this upgrade, more than 90% of analysts tracked by Bloomberg rate Meta a buy, with the rest at hold and none at sell.

Disclosures I am/we currently own positions in the stocks mentioned, and have NO plans to sell some or all of the positions in the stocks mentioned over the next 72 hours.

Click for the complete disclosure

A J.P. Morgan analyst recommends Meta's stock following signs of progress on consumer-focused AI applications.

Meta Platforms, Inc. is aggressively investing in AI infrastructure, positioning itself to sell compute capacity in a supply-constrained market. META's compute commitments far exceed internal needs, signaling a strategic move to become a major AI cloud provider alongside AWS, Azure, and GCP. At ~$650/share (23x trailing earnings), META offers strong revenue growth (28%) and free AI/cloud optionality, with the compute business not yet priced in.

Diamond Hill Capital Management LLC Investment Advisor lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 163,309 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 16,720 shares during the quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management LLC Investment Advisor’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $91,990,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of META. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 17.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 2,670 shares during the period. WMS Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $876,000. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 625,079 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $352,101,000 after acquiring an additional 29,411 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 2.5% during the 4th 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. Finally, Xponance LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 528,966 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $349,165,000 after buying an additional 30,793 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 6.6% NASDAQ META opened at $653.69 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $790.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $599.05 and a 200-day moving average of $608.74. The firm has a market cap of $1.67 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current year. Insider Activity at Meta Platforms In other news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents 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 sold a total of 36,227 shares of company stock worth $21,205,509 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research firms recently weighed in on META. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho set a $750.00 target price on Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $780.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $785.22.

View Our Latest Research Report on META

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

Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse agent can perform tasks across Meta and third-party applications, including sending emails, booking travel, shopping and making payments. Free and paid tiers—reportedly priced as high as $100 per month—give investors a potential subscription revenue stream and a clearer path to monetizing AI infrastructure. Meta launches AI agent that can access other apps, send emails and make payments Positive Sentiment: Meta said early interest in Muse has exceeded expectations, boosting confidence that the product could achieve broad adoption across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Analysts remain constructive, with KeyBanc reaffirming an Overweight rating and a $780 price target. Meta says interest in its new AI agent has exceeded expectations Positive Sentiment: Market chatter indicates Meta acquired Stilla.ai to advance its Business Agent initiative. If confirmed, the deal could strengthen Meta’s tools for business automation, commerce and customer interactions. Market chatter on Meta’s acquisition of Stilla.ai Positive Sentiment: Anthropic reportedly posted a high-paying sales role aimed at Meta, highlighting Meta’s importance as a major AI customer and suggesting continued demand for advanced AI models and infrastructure. The posting was later removed. Anthropic posted and deleted a sales job targeting Meta Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s planned data-center expansion and optical-network agreements support its long-term AI ambitions, but the associated capital spending could pressure margins before agent subscriptions and other AI products become profitable. Meta’s AI capital-spending plans Negative Sentiment: Star AI researcher Andrew Tulloch is leaving Meta less than a year after reportedly receiving a billion-dollar compensation package. The departure raises concerns about retaining elite AI talent during an increasingly competitive hiring cycle. Star AI researcher leaves Meta Negative Sentiment: Muse’s ability to access sensitive data and act across applications increases privacy, security and regulatory risks. Meta also faces litigation over alleged crypto-scam advertising, while its chief accounting officer sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. About Meta Platforms (Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Qualcomm’s Data Center Bet Looks More Real After Amazon’s AI Deal GE Aerospace’s $11.75B Deal Puts Howmet Aerospace in Focus Casey’s Post-Earnings Drop May Give Investors a Better Entry Into a Quality Retailer Sovereign AI: Palantir and Nebius Cut the Cloud Cord Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report).

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Abbot Financial Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 53.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,845 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 991 shares during the period. Abbot Financial Management Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $1,603,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RHL Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

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

Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse agent can perform tasks across Meta and third-party applications, including sending emails, booking travel, shopping and making payments. Free and paid tiers—reportedly priced as high as $100 per month—give investors a potential subscription revenue stream and a clearer path to monetizing AI infrastructure. Meta launches AI agent that can access other apps, send emails and make payments Positive Sentiment: Meta said early interest in Muse has exceeded expectations, boosting confidence that the product could achieve broad adoption across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Analysts remain constructive, with KeyBanc reaffirming an Overweight rating and a $780 price target. Meta says interest in its new AI agent has exceeded expectations Positive Sentiment: Market chatter indicates Meta acquired Stilla.ai to advance its Business Agent initiative. If confirmed, the deal could strengthen Meta’s tools for business automation, commerce and customer interactions. Market chatter on Meta’s acquisition of Stilla.ai Positive Sentiment: Anthropic reportedly posted a high-paying sales role aimed at Meta, highlighting Meta’s importance as a major AI customer and suggesting continued demand for advanced AI models and infrastructure. The posting was later removed. Anthropic posted and deleted a sales job targeting Meta Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s planned data-center expansion and optical-network agreements support its long-term AI ambitions, but the associated capital spending could pressure margins before agent subscriptions and other AI products become profitable. Meta’s AI capital-spending plans Negative Sentiment: Star AI researcher Andrew Tulloch is leaving Meta less than a year after reportedly receiving a billion-dollar compensation package. The departure raises concerns about retaining elite AI talent during an increasingly competitive hiring cycle. Star AI researcher leaves Meta Negative Sentiment: Muse’s ability to access sensitive data and act across applications increases privacy, security and regulatory risks. Meta also faces litigation over alleged crypto-scam advertising, while its chief accounting officer sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts have recently commented on META shares. Barclays cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $883.00 to $886.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $595.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $785.22. Get Our Latest Analysis on META

Meta Platforms Trading Up 6.6% NASDAQ META opened at $653.69 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $1.67 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $599.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $608.74. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity In other news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Curtis Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $869,922.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,957 shares in the company, valued at $1,092,006. The trade was a 44.34% 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 sold 36,227 shares of company stock worth $21,205,509 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Qualcomm’s Data Center Bet Looks More Real After Amazon’s AI Deal GE Aerospace’s $11.75B Deal Puts Howmet Aerospace in Focus Casey’s Post-Earnings Drop May Give Investors a Better Entry Into a Quality Retailer Sovereign AI: Palantir and Nebius Cut the Cloud Cord Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Meta Platforms Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Meta Platforms and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Bloomberg/Getty Images Anthropic posted — and then deleted — a job listing for a salesperson tasked with selling to Meta, its AI rival and one of its largest customers.

The listing, titled "Mega Account Executive, Meta," appeared on Anthropic's job board at a delicate moment for the companies' relationship.

Meta still spends hundreds of millions of dollars a month as Anthropic's customer, according to a recent New York Times report. But it's also trying to reduce its reliance on Anthropic's AI tools as Anthropic is shoring up its finances ahead of a massive initial public offering.

The post suggests Anthropic is betting Meta will remain a major customer even as Meta builds more capable AI models of its own.

After Business Insider asked Anthropic about the listing on Wednesday, the company pulled it down. Anthropic and Meta declined to comment.

Anthropic's job posting offered an annual salary of $380,000 to $450,000, and didn't mention Meta outside the title. It said the salesperson would "win new business and drive revenue within a book of strategic digital native accounts."

The listing stands out for its specificity. Other Anthropic account executive openings target broad regions or sectors, including startups in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, or the public sector in Southeast Asia.

Anthropic's AI coding tool, Claude Code, became popular across Silicon Valley, including at Meta, this year. One internal projection said Meta could spend $10 billion annually on Anthropic, the Times reported. Meta's head of AI product, Nat Friedman, told employees that if Meta decreased its reliance on Anthropic's tools, it could hit Anthropic's revenue as it approaches its IPO, the report said.

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Stephen Council You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.

Stephen is a senior tech reporter at Business Insider, covering OpenAI, Anthropic and the ecosystem around the leading artificial intelligence companies.Previously he covered technology at SFGATE, and has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Information and CNBC. He studied journalism and economics at Northwestern University.His work has earned an SF Press Club Investigative Reporting Award and, in 2025, SPJ NorCal’s Excellence in Journalism Award for Technology Reporting.Stephen lives in San Francisco. Contact him via email at [email protected], or on Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 415-757-8198. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

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