Floridský generální prokurátor žádá soud, aby Meta omezila dospívajícím používání aplikací na dvě hodiny denně a dětem vypnula automatické přehrávání i nekonečné posouvání obsahu.
Florida just rejected an $18 billion settlement that every other state accepted, and now its attorney general wants a judge to gut the very features that make Instagram and Facebook profitable. Here is what the legal threat actually means for…
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On Wednesday, Florida’s attorney general asked a Pasco County circuit judge for a temporary injunction against Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction). The motion would require Meta to find and remove Florida users under 14, limit teens to two hours a day across all its apps, and turn off autoplay and infinite scroll for children in the state.
Meta shares fell 2.38% that session and closed at $721.31. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) rose 0.91%, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) gained 1.42% and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) added 0.81%.
The 10-year Treasury yield rose from 4.8% to 5.27% over the same stretch.
The case rests on Florida’s deceptive trade practices law. It does not rely on the state’s social media age law. The motion is only a request: no judge has ruled, and no hearing date has been reported.
What Florida Wants Changed Inside Instagram and Facebook Under the motion, messaging would shut off, and Meta would be blocked from showing ads once a teen reached the daily limit. Florida wants these changes “implemented immediately.”
The ad ban impacts revenue directly. Advertising brought in $59.36 billion of Meta’s $60.80 billion in second-quarter revenue. Removing infinite scroll would cut engagement and ad impressions, which rose 14% year over year.
Even so, the motion covers teens in a single state. That is a small group next to Meta’s 3.60 billion daily active people.
Why Florida Turned Down a Settlement Every Other State Took Florida was the only state to reject Meta’s August 2026 youth-safety settlement, worth up to about $18 billion. The other 48 states and Washington, D.C., signed on.
The motion calls that deal “a mere slap on the wrist” that “will be cynically viewed as the cost of doing business,” and argues “none of the settlement’s injunctive relief reaches Florida.” The attorney general also posted on X: “We just asked a Florida court to order Meta to turn off the features that addict teenagers” and “Meta tried to get us to take their low-ball settlement.”
Meta’s response: “The attorney general should be using taxpayer resources to get YouTube and TikTok to empower parents and protect teens in Florida. We regret that he has chosen instead to pursue a meritless preliminary injunction years into the litigation.”
Pointing at YouTube and TikTok has no legal force. The timing argument is stronger: an injunction is emergency relief, and waiting years to ask for one weakens the claim that harm is urgent.
New Mexico Is the Larger Financial Risk New Mexico won a jury verdict against Meta in September. The state wants a judge to impose $35 billion to $40 billion in penalties; Meta wants any penalty capped at $3.45 billion. A ruling is expected later in October. The high end of New Mexico’s request would be a large penalty for a company that earned $60.46 billion in 2025. New Mexico has already been decided, and only the amount remains, while Florida’s case is still a request.
Wells Fargo raised its price target on Oct. 6, 2026, writing that “Investor enthusiasm around Meta’s Muse product cycle is warranted.” The analysts are treating regulatory action as something that ends in fines, which can be estimated, rather than in forced product changes.
What Could Move META Stock After New Mexico Rules Florida’s motion is still undecided, and nearly every other state has settled.
The bear case is serious. Florida is asking for product changes instead of money, a New Mexico jury has ruled against Meta, and the penalty decision is weeks away.
At about 22x forward earnings, the share price reflects substantial legal risk.
Watch New Mexico’s ruling. If the penalty lands near Meta’s $3.45 billion cap, the bullish case holds. If it lands near $35 billion, or a Florida judge grants the injunction, the bullish case needs a fresh look.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Butterfly Effect, mateřská společnost start-upu Manus zaměřeného na AI, získala v investičním kole více než 500 milionů USD poté, co Meta zrušila akvizici.
"AI Artificial Intelligence" words, a keyboard and a robotics hand in this illustration taken, September 23, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
Oct 8 (Reuters) - Butterfly Effect, the parent company of AI startup Manus, said on Thursday it completed a funding round of more than $500 million as the firm resumed independent operations after unwinding Meta's (META.O), opens new tab $2 billion-plus acquisition.
The round was co-led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with existing investors Tencent, Sequoia China and ZhenFund also participating.
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Here are some details:
Manus develops general-purpose AI agents that can autonomously carry out tasks such as research and automation with minimal human input.
In April, Beijing ordered Meta to unwind its acquisition of Manus amid tightening scrutiny of US investment in Chinese startups developing advanced AI technologies.
Manus said in August it would resume operating as an independent company and delete some user data as part of its separation from Meta.
The Information reported in June that Manus' annualised revenue run rate had surged to about $500 million, up from $100 million when Meta acquired it, and that the firm was considering a joint-venture structure incorporated in China, paving the way for a Hong Kong listing.
Reporting by Rajveer Singh Pardesi in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich
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Meta spustila svého asistenta Muse v podobě samostatné aplikace pro iPad, měsíc po jeho debutu na iPhonu. Od zářijového uvedení na platformách iOS a Android zaznamenala aplikace více než 6,6 milionu instalací.
If there’s any doubt about how seriously Meta is taking AI, here’s a new signal: The company on Wednesday announced that its Muse assistant is now available in a dedicated iPad app. That’s a milestone it took Instagram some 15 years to reach, despite constant user demand.
Muse, meanwhile, hit the iPad just a month after launching on iPhone.
(To be fair, it may not be as difficult to bring something like Muse to iPad, given its text-heavy interface, where image and video resolution and formatting matter less.)
Since launching on iOS and Android on September 8, Muse has topped 6.6 million installs, according to estimates from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The app, which is now one of dozens of consumer-facing AI agents, lets users connect their accounts to stay on top of email, meetings, bills, and more, and to complete tasks like booking reservations, ordering groceries, setting goals, and making purchases.
To make that work, Meta has been adding partners in the effort, which appear in Muse as “connectors.” Users can add and sign in to them selectively, depending on which parts of their online life they’re comfortable letting an AI agent handle.
With the iPad release, Meta has updated this list with several of its newer additions, including connectors aimed at small businesses, like Asana, Canva, Dropbox, Figma, QuickBooks, GitHub, Klaviyo, and Zoom, as well as connectors for Meta ad accounts. It also added Notion and Granola.
In addition, Meta recently announced more retail partners, like Best Buy, Gap, Sephora, Walmart, and Wayfair. These allow the agent to shop those retailers’ sites and complete transactions on users’ behalf. Because this technology is still new, these experiences can still run into issues as websites mistake agents for bots and block their access.
On Tuesday, Meta announced that it’s working with industry partners on a technological solution to this problem in the form of an open standard that would allow personal AI agents to identify themselves to businesses. That would help businesses sort the good bots from the bad.
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Meta Platforms spustila Meta Enterprise Platform, kterou Mark Zuckerberg označil za „další hlavní pilíř“ podnikání. Platforma má firmám nabídnout agenty AI, API a nástroje Muse Code.
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$520.26▼
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Since releasing its Muse personal AI agent, Meta Platform’s NASDAQ: META stock has moved up steeply and tested its all-time highs reached last year.
Muse is the clearest example of Meta packaging AI into a standalone, accessible product that can drive revenue beyond its massive advertising business. However, the company isn’t stopping there when it comes to providing AI solutions.
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CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls the recently announced Meta Enterprise Platform, “the next major pillar of our business."
Given the market’s positive response to Muse, the Meta Enterprise Platform represents another step in Meta’s push to turn AI into a meaningful revenue stream beyond its core advertising business.
The Meta Enterprise Platform: Extending Business Demand to New AreasMeta notes, “Meta Enterprise Platform will use our strengths that few other companies have: advanced models, leading agents, large-scale infrastructure, and years of working closely with many businesses.” The platform focuses on bringing the Muse agent, the Meta Business Agent, the Muse Application Programming Interface (API), and Muse Code to more businesses and developers.
This initiative lies at what has been the heart of Meta’s entire business model: helping other businesses grow. Using Meta’s apps as an advertising surface has been the primary way it has done this so far. With the firm expected to overtake Alphabet NASDAQ: GOOG in advertising sales this year, the company has been extraordinarily successful in this regard. The goal of the Meta Enterprise Platform is to provide businesses with other tools that help them grow and increase efficiency. In other words, Meta is looking to become a one-stop shop for business AI usage.
It wants firms to advertise on Meta, use Meta AI agents, use the Muse API as a general-purpose AI and chatbot, and use Muse Code to build new applications. This goal is further emphasized by a related announcement: Muse for Small Business. Like the Muse personal agent automates personal tasks, Muse for Small Businesses does the same for business tasks.
Meta notes that Muse can communicate with customers, create growth plans, handle emails and scheduling, monitor financial performance, and create new ad campaigns. Additionally, it can connect to many programs that businesses may already use to manage operations, including QuickBooks, Shopify, Slack, Stripe, Zoom, Canva, and Dropbox. Meta expects to add more connectors and skills over the coming months.
Meta’s Overall AI Strategy Becomes ClearerThe combination of Meta’s advertising business, the Muse personal agent, and the Meta Enterprise Platform helps put into perspective why the company is spending so fervently on AI infrastructure. The firm has 3.6 billion daily active users on its apps. Serving these users with AI-optimized ads clearly requires massive infrastructure. Additionally, Meta is working to extend people’s interactions with AI beyond their social media feeds and into the automation of their daily tasks through Muse—another major driver of infrastructure demand.
All those AI-optimized ads will support what experts expect to be the world's largest digital advertising business by the end of 2026. Now, the company is working to extend that relationship with businesses into other use cases, using AI, through the Meta Enterprise Platform and Muse for Small Businesses. To serve all these interests, building a huge portfolio of AI infrastructure assets is essential.
It's worth noting that Meta is bringing in big guns to lead this program. Chirantan “CJ” Desai will join Meta as Chief Enterprise Platform Officer. Desai has an extensive track record in the tech sector. Just prior to joining Meta, he was the CEO of MongoDB NASDAQ: MDB, an over $25 billion software company. Before that, he led product and engineering at Cloudflare NYSE: NET, which currently has a market capitalization of around $125 billion. Desai was also once the COO of ServiceNow NYSE: NOW, helping scale the company from $1.5 billion to more than $10 billion in annualized revenue.
The point is that Meta has the gravitas to simply poach the CEO of a huge firm like MongoDB to run a subset of its business. Bringing in this highly experienced tech executive reflects favorably on its ability to scale the Meta Enterprise platform successfully.
Meta’s Shares Are Booming Today—But Financial Impact Still Requires PatienceAfter a rather long period of confusion regarding Meta’s overarching AI strategy, the picture is now coming into focus. The company is working to build a highly integrated AI stack that caters to both personal and business use cases. AI advertising, the Muse personal agent, and the Meta Enterprise Platform are key pillars of this.
Today, outside of advertising, the monetization of these pillars has yet to have much impact on Meta’s financials. Given the recent release of these programs, it may take several more quarters before they do. However, updates on Muse personal agent, Meta Enterprise Platform, and Muse for Small Business adoption will be critical to monitor in coming press releases and earnings calls.
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Aplikace Muse od Meta je i nadále nejstahovanější bezplatnou aplikací pro iOS; akcie společnosti Meta od jejího spuštění před měsícem vzrostly přibližně o 20 %. Klíčové bude udržet si uživatele.
Meta's Muse personal agent has been topping app store charts. Now, the "centerpiece" of the company's artificial intelligence strategy, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg describes it, needs to become something people make a habit of using.
The buzz around Meta's AI agent has excited investors. The stock is up about 20% since the app's launch a month ago and recorded its best month in September since 2022.
While Meta is still currently the top free app on Apple's iOS store, the bigger challenge for the Facebook parent is to get people to keep using Muse after the magic wears off. Meta needs its personal agent to be an anchor app for the company, which has been trailing competitors like OpenAI and Google in the red-hot AI market.
"Muse has an opportunity to be sticky with consumers because it's a task-completer, rather than just a chatbot," Meredith Whalen, chief research officer at IDC, said in an email.
Whalen said consumers are using current AI tools for a range of tasks, but it's unclear if they'll be willing to hand over the kind of personal data required to create an efficient digital assistant. That's a particularly big obstacle for Meta, which just agreed to an almost $17 billion settlement with a group of states that alleged the company misrepresented the extent of child mental health harms caused by apps like Facebook and Instagram.
"The real question is trust," Whalen said.
Meta is pitching Muse to both consumers and small businesses for tasks like organizing personal emails, searching for shopping deals or seeking out prospective customers. Although Meta lets users access Muse for free, it also sells monthly subscription plans for $20 or $100, depending on tokens, a metric the company uses to calculate the power AI agents need to accomplish tasks.
In offering Muse for free out of the gate, the company can get an understanding of how and why people are using it, said Whalen, who noted that, "Price comes later, once the habit is established."
watch now
Coders have found AI agents helpful as software engineering tools, but the general public and even business leaders are still grappling with the potential for supercharged digital assistants, beyond acting as mere question-and-answering services.
"I would say that widely, enterprise-scale AI agent adoption is still page one, chapter one," said Ketan Karkhanis, CEO of ThoughtSpot, which sells AI agent technologies to businesses.
Consumers are just getting started with AI agents.
Karkhanis said he hasn't seen the kinds of "killer use cases" that would make apps like Muse more compelling than merely being a "next-gen Alexa" or Siri voice assistant that people might use to tell them the weather.
Andrew Geller, executive producer of 1stAveMachine, said his media firm develops its own internal agentic tools for certain production tasks. He views Muse and other consumer-focused AI agents as being "quite helpful" in introducing the technology to the masses, but says they're hardly life-changing.
Geller said he was "early on the OpenClaw train," referring to the so-called open-source harness for managing AI agents that took off earlier this year. He said he discovered that personal use of AI agents can be fun, but also "kind of a little banal," particularly when contrasted with the more heavy-duty uses related to coding.
Bring on the Personal AI assistantsA number of other tech firms are trying to commercialize AI agents for the masses by first enticing users to join for free.
Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is taking a try-before-you-buy approach with her new photo-centric AI agent startup Dazzle, a tactic she said is important "for those occasional users or those users who are just trying to see what the service can do at the very beginning."
Dazzle analyzes users' personal photos to understand aspects of their lives, such as their family members or interests, and then can take actions like reminding someone that a pair of shoes they recently looked up is on sale online.
It's a strategy she learned from her early tenure at Google, before the company built its market-leading online ad platform.
"What we're really trying to do is see what use cases are really popping with users, what do they see as really helpful, and that will guide it," Mayer said about Dazzle's first week post-launch.
Mayer compared the pricing and adoption approach to Uber's evolution. The ride-hailing company began with black town cars before introducing lower-priced options for a wider swath of users.
"It's a luxury to be able to have these wonderful recommendations and to have this level of convenience," Mayer said.
Dazzle is considering transaction fees and subscriptions.
"We want to be running a service where people feel that they're getting value on a relatively continuous basis over time," Mayer said.
At Wajo AI, CEO Shivani Poddar is also contemplating business models for her new AI-powered digital assistant startup, which lets people research and book appointments or order gifts for family members.
Poddar, who has previously built voice-assistant technologies for Amazon Alexa and at Facebook, is letting people access the service for free for now. While Poddar believes businesses may be willing to pay subscription fees, she's not yet convinced that "the everyday person" will want to sign up, and instead may be more willing to pay service fees based on outcomes, like how Airbnb makes money from bookings.
The stakes are highest for Meta, which went on a massive spending spree last year to acquire talent and build a business in AI that could compete with OpenAI and Anthropic. Zuckerberg is desperate to diversify away from online ads, which still account for almost all of the company's revenue, and he's got a long way to go to prove that Muse can be a key piece of that effort.
Zuckerberg, at least to an extent, has time on his side.
"Whoever can subsidize users and wait has the advantage," IDC's Whalen said. "And Meta's ad business can pay for a lot of waiting."
Akcie společnosti Meta Platforms od ledna posílily zhruba o 12 % díky AI agentovi Muse, autor však úspěch této strategie zpochybňuje kvůli nízké důvěře v ochranu soukromí.
News of Meta Platforms (META +0.26%) launching a personal artificial intelligence (AI) agent called Muse last month gave the struggling stock some much-needed life. It's now in positive territory for the year, up around 12% since January. It's been a tremendous turnaround story for the company, as it's made investors believers of Meta's AI strategy.
But I don't think it'll last. While the launch of a personal AI assistant may unlock new opportunities and drive more growth, since there are paid plans as well, here's why I don't think it'll be successful.
Image source: Getty Images.
AI agents need to be trusted, and that's not Meta's strengthAI agents could potentially add a lot of efficiency to someone's life. They could respond to emails, book dinners, make travel plans, and even shop online for them. But each one of those examples also requires the user to allow the agent to act on their behalf, and thus, to trust it to make sound decisions. It may also involve allowing them to access sensitive information.
Meta, unfortunately, doesn't have the best track record for protecting user privacy. It's faced numerous privacy-related lawsuits and recently agreed to pay $18 billion to settle lawsuits that alleged its social media apps harmed children.
Given that there is a growing amount of competition in AI and there will be many AI agents available, I'm skeptical about just how much people will be willing to trust a service from Meta, given its track record. As concerns grow about the level of access that an AI can have, I think users will be less inclined to use an AI from a company such as Meta. While its AI agent may provide convenience for users who heavily use the company's social media apps, I don't think it'll be a big growth driver for the business.
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Why I'd avoid Meta's stockMeta's stock has been volatile over the past year, as even with its recent surge in value, it's still only up around 3% in the last 12 months. It's trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 28, which is a fair bit higher than the S&P 500 average of 23. The tech stock is by no means a steal of a deal.
Plus, when factoring in the risks of its AI strategy not paying off plus the money pit that is its metaverse segment, it quickly becomes apparent why the stock should arguably trade at a discount rather than a premium. This is a stock that could be vulnerable to a sizable decline if there's a downturn in the markets.
A month after Meta's launch of Muse, the personal agent that quickly turned into a viral sensation, a group of companies is coming together to try to simplify the process of bringing the technology into the business world.
Meta, Walmart, Stripe and a handful of other companies are publishing what they're calling a "personal agent protocol." It's an open standard meant to dictate how artificial intelligence agents can interact with businesses.
Enterprise AI startup Sierra, co-founded by former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, is part of the group. Taylor, who's also chairman of OpenAI and is leading the initiative, told CNBC in an interview that companies have a lot of work to do to figure out how and when personal agents are able to access information.
"Companies will know when it's a personal agent versus an actual person. For a lot of companies there's a risk: you don't want just a random bot that isn't acting on behalf of a person to have access to this service," Taylor said. “It is kind of chaos until such a standard exists."
Meta's Muse has become the most popular and buzzy version of personal AI agents since hitting the market in early September. It soared to the top of Apple's App Store and remains there, ahead of ChatGPT. However, Amazon is among the companies that have blocked Meta's agents, citing worries of website scraping.
Amazon also blocked Perplexity's AI agent and sued the startup in November, alleging the company took steps to "conceal" its AI agents so they could continue to scrape Amazon's website without approval. Perplexity called the lawsuit a "bully tactic."
For the new standard, Taylor compared it with the experience of logging into other websites with Google or Facebook credentials, technology he worked on when he was tech chief at Facebook. He said the practice will help with authentication so that businesses know if they're dealing with a bot, and will provide visibility into what personal agents are actually doing through these websites.
David Singleton, vice president of engineering and consumer products at Meta Superintelligence Labs and former technology chief at Stripe, highlighted security. In order for agents to work well, he said, customers need to share credit card and personal information, and the new standard creates some level of visibility and control.
"We're defining rails that we hope personal agents and business agents can run over for the future," Singleton said, comparing it to email. "If you think about email, it works great because it is a standard that everyone can use to talk to each other, and we think this is going to be quite similar."
Singleton said Muse already has millions of users in the U..S and it's "growing rapidly."
"What we're finding is that people love using Muse for all kinds of things, things like signing their kids up for classes, finding and buying the best gifts, scheduling that dentist appointment that you have been putting off for six months," he said. "We need a mechanism to have it go faster and smoother."
While OpenAI and Anthropic aren't on board now, Taylor said he expects the AI giants to participate, and indicated he will be "really disappointed" if it's not being used by competitors.
"The whole point of this is to be an open standard," Taylor said.
Meta v Indii testuje verzi Facebooku, která některé uživatele po otevření aplikace zavede přímo do celoobrazovkového režimu Reels. Klasický kanál příspěvků zůstane dostupný na druhé záložce.
Meta has started testing a new Facebook UX in India that sends some users directly into full-screen video when they open the app, putting Reels front and center.
First outlined in July by Facebook head Tom Alison, the test is designed to offer a more immersive, video-forward user experience. Alison said at the time that Meta planned to begin testing it later in the year in “video-heavy countries” outside the U.S., though he didn’t specify where. The company will explore bringing the user experience to the U.S. next year, he said.
Users included in the test can opt out and return to a Feed-first experience, Meta said. The classic feed will remain available as a second tab on the Facebook app.
The test comes as Meta moves to make video more central to Facebook. Last year, the company said all new videos posted to Facebook would be shared as Reels, regardless of their length or format, and it even renamed the app’s Video tab to “Reels.” Meta has previously said young adults spend about 60% of their time on Facebook watching videos.
India has long been a testing ground for Meta’s video efforts, particularly its push into short-form video. In 2020, Instagram began testing a dedicated Reels tab in the country, months after India banned TikTok. The company also tested a Reels-first experience for some Instagram users in India and South Korea last year that similarly sent them directly into the video UX when they opened the app.
The new test comes as video consumption rises across Meta’s apps in India. At least 97% of users surveyed in Meta-commissioned studies said they watch video on its platforms daily, and 89% of Gen Z respondents said they use Reels every day, per the figures the company released in June. Meta has described Reels as increasingly becoming India’s “personal and primary screen.”
India is Facebook’s largest market by users, with Meta’s advertising tools indicating an audience of more than 400 million people in the country.
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Jagmeet covers startups, tech policy-related updates, and all other major tech-centric developments from India for TechCrunch. He previously worked as a principal correspondent at NDTV.
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Soudce v Novém Mexiku má v říjnu 2026 rozhodnout o sankci pro Meta v případu ochrany osobních údajů; stát požaduje 35 až 40 miliard USD, zatímco Meta navrhuje horní hranici 3,45 miliardy USD.
A Santa Fe judge holds the power to hand New Mexico a penalty that would dwarf anything Meta has ever paid, and the ruling lands this month. The gap between what the state demands and what Meta will accept is…
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Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) closed at $741.90 on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, up 1.9% for the session. Meanwhile, a Santa Fe state judge is deciding how much the company owes New Mexico.
The court was asked to order Meta to pay. The New Mexico Department of Justice seeks at least $35 billion and up to $40 billion in penalties. Meta says the penalty should be capped at $3.45 billion.
Liability is already decided. A jury found against Meta in a data privacy case rooted in the Cambridge Analytica era. What remains is the amount, and the judge is expected to rule in October 2026.
Nothing has been ordered yet. Meta can appeal whatever the court decides. Even a very large ruling would be a starting point for further litigation.
How the Penalty Math Gets So Large Jurors in their Sept. 25, 2026 verdict found 26 of 29 Meta statements misleading and counted more than 43 million violations, each carrying a penalty of up to $5,000.
Multiplied out, those figures produce a ceiling no company could pay. The state’s request is about 20% of the statutory maximum.
Statutory penalties count individual acts and ignore measured damage, so judges tend to award less than states request. In a separate child safety case, a New Mexico jury set Meta’s penalties at up to $375 million.
Randi McGinn is outside counsel for the New Mexico Department of Justice. She pressed the court to impose the $40 billion penalty. She also pressed the court to punish Meta “in the only language it understands, which is money.”
What a Top-End Ruling Would Cost Meta Meta has a market value of roughly $1.89 trillion. Its second quarter 2026 revenue was $60.80 billion, and $59.36 billion of that came from advertising.
Free cash flow fell to $784 million in the second quarter while capital spending hit $30.12 billion. Meta recorded $2.4 billion in legal charges.
A ruling near the top of the range would far exceed the legal charges Meta booked in the second quarter. It would also reset expectations for the youth-related trials that Meta itself says may result in material losses.
Advertising revenue grew 27% in the second quarter, and the average price per ad rose 12%. Shares are up 20.37% over the past month.
Meta’s Muse agent has passed 5.6 million downloads. BNP Paribas has an $885 price target on the stock.
And with all that progress, scrutiny is spreading abroad. Norway’s digitalization minister has said the government will consider a ban on AI glasses.
What Will Decide META Stock’s Next Move At about 27 times trailing earnings, you pay for a business growing revenue 28% a year. The legal cloud is large but has a limit.
The first test is the ruling. A number close to Meta’s $3.45 billion cap would remove most of the cloud. A number near the state’s request would likely weigh on the shares through an appeal.
The third-quarter report is expected after the close on Oct. 28, 2026, with a call at 4:30 PM ET. Watch for a new legal charge or an increase to the $165 billion to $169 billion expense outlook. If the stock trades below $741.90 after both events, the market is likely pricing in further legal damage.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Ofcom vyšetřuje společnost Meta kvůli možnému porušení britského zákona o online bezpečnosti v souvislosti se spuštěním funkce Instagram Instants a možným nedostatečným posouzením rizik nelegálního obsahu či přístupu dětí.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is under investigation for a potential breach of the UK’s digital safety laws after launching a Snapchat-style feature on Instagram.
The UK’s communications watchdog, Ofcom, is investigating whether the $1.9tn (£1.4tn) company infringed the Online Safety Act (OSA) by failing to carry out adequate checks on whether its Instagram Instants product could show illegal content or be accessed by children.
Social media companies are required to carry out risk assessments before making significant changes to their service’s design or operation. Breaching the OSA carries a range of potential actions, from a formal warning to a fine of up to 10% of global revenue.
George Lusty, the director of enforcement at Ofcom, said risk assessments were a vital step in keeping tech platforms safe for users. “You wouldn’t launch a new car without testing it properly, and it’s the same for online services,” he said. “Safety by design must be built in, not bolted on, and today’s investigation shows we’ll take action where we have concerns that providers are failing to comply.”
Screenshots of Instagram Instants. Photograph: Meta NewsroomInstagram’s Instants feature allows users to send images that disappear after viewing. The company said it had conducted a risk analysis of Instants and talked to Ofcom on a number of occasions before launching it. It said the feature carried protections such as blocking forwarding and included all the safeguards under its teen account settings, the default mode for under-18s on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger.
“We will of course cooperate with Ofcom during this investigation,” a Meta spokesperson said.
The Molly Rose Foundation, a charity established by the family of Molly Russell, a teenager who took her own life after viewing harmful content on Instagram, said it was crucial that Meta was “held to account for their failures under the Online Safety Act”.
Ofcom is already investigating whether Meta breached the law by failing to comply with a request for information related to its WhatsApp platform.
Zuckerberg’s company is challenging Ofcom in court over the OSA. It is suing the regulator in the high court over how it charges tech firms fees to cover its operating costs, and in a further case it is challenging Ofcom placing it in a new category under the act that subjects it to additional duties.
Meta has also joined TikTok and Elon Musk’s X in a court challenge over the amount information Ofcom is demanding they provide under the UK’s new online safety regime.
Alexandr Wang — the 29-year-old MIT dropout who has spearheaded the launch of Meta’s wildly successful Muse AI app — is a foul-mouthed, mullet-wearing tech bro with a penchant for posting off-color memes on social media.
Last month, two weeks after the Sept. 8 launch of the new Muse AI agent, Wang posted an image of Muse’s cuddly, stuffed-animal-like mascot Jolly, smiling serenely while displaying its large, fuzzy butt.
“[D]oes this do anything for any of you,” Wang wrote, adding, “be honest no judgment zone.”
The post sparked a torrent of copycat memes – some of which Wang reposted – depicting the mascot in sexually charged poses. The techie shared one post that showed Zuckerberg and his own head atop Jolly’s body in the butt-flaunting pose – adding to the mounting online content sexualizing the mascot.
Alexandr Wang, Meta Chief AI Officer, speaks during the Meta Connect conference in Menlo Park, Calif., on Sept. 23. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu Wang – who was hired by Zuckerberg last year in a $14 billion deal – has brought a heavy dose of free-wheeling Gen Z energy to Meta as the company has grappled with assorted scandals and litigation including a $12.7 billion settlement in California over teen social media addiction.
Wang’s arrival initially sparked tumult and skepticism, with numerous high-profile executives including AI guru Yann LeCun leaving the company in the months that followed. But over the past month, the release of the Muse app has sent Meta’s stock soaring 20% – boosting its market capitalization by more than $400 billion.
“this is f–king great,” Wang wrote on Saturday in response to a post on X that showed how one user employed Muse to build a video game app.
Wang’s online profile is drastically different from Zuckerberg – who has long been known for his straight-arrow Facebook posts that tend to mark family occasions and product launches along with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu matches.
A post on X that was circulated by Alexandr Wang, a 20-something MIT dropout spearheading Meta’s AI efforts. At Meta’s recent annual developer conference, Wang appeared on stage wearing a camouflage “Whitetail Deer” T-shirt and a pair of Crocs.
One X user mocked Wang for the garb, saying the tech executive likely spent thousands of dollars on the outfit.
“excuse me I must correct the record on this slander,” Wang shot back, writing on a photo of himself the prices he paid for each item – $30 for the thrifted T-shirt, $60 for the Crocs and $5 Calvin Klein underwear.
Wang highlighted the latter by drawing a red arrow pointing to his crotch.
Wang’s edgy style could be entirely strategic as Meta has struggled to reel in younger users to Facebook and Instagram platforms.
Meanwhile, the 42-year-old Zuckerberg, a father of three, has lately played more official roles, including dining with President Trump at the White House last week – a far cry from when Zuckerberg had “I’m CEO, Bitch” printed on his business cards not long after launching the company in 2004.
Wang co-founded and served as CEO of the data-labeling startup Scale AI, which exploded in value as it became a key vendor for leading AI labs – turning Wang into one of the world’s youngest self-made billionaires.
Wang joined Meta in a June 2025 deal in which Meta invested $14 billion into Scale, took a 49% stake and hired the CEO to revamp its AI efforts following a disappointing showing of its latest model Llama 4.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attends a press briefing held by U.S. President Donald Trump with AI executives following a meeting on artificial intelligence, outside of the White House. Getty Images Upon joining Meta, Wang was reportedly frustrated by Zuckerberg’s micromanagement of the company’s AI push, calling it “suffocating,” according to a Financial Times report.
Mike Volpi, one of Scale’s board of directors and a partner at Hanabi Capital, told the Wall Street Journal that when “you spend billions of dollars to bring onboard a non-Meta person in a very senior role in this company, it’s going to ruffle some feathers.”
But, he added, “I would give both Mark and Alex an enormous amount of credit for actually being able to make it work.”
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The latest styles of Meta Ray-Bans won't be so popular in Norway after a temporary ban in certain public spaces. Bloomberg/Getty Images Bad news if you planned on capturing photos of the majestic fjords in your Meta Ray-Bans. Norway is issuing a temporary ban on camera glasses in public spaces like parks, schools, and beaches.
This ban doesn't prohibit the sale of Meta glasses, and it only applies to their use in certain areas, like changing rooms or beaches. It also points to the need for extra privacy around places for children, like schools and daycares.
Norway's Minister of Digitalization, Torgeir Micaelsen, expressed concern that new, powerful technology is being introduced where people risk being photographed, filmed or audio recorded without their knowledge, according to a translated press release.
Micaelsen just started as Minister of Digitalization in September, but his predecessor had started floating the idea of looking into regulation on Meta glasses in August.
Representatives for Minister Micaelsen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meta's CTO, Andrew Bosworth, has said that only a few "bad actors" are responsible for disabling the glasses' LED indicator lights, which has given the glasses a bad reputation as "pervert glasses". Meta recently rolled out a software update in which the camera won't work if the light is covered or tampered with.
The government also said it will form an expert group to investigate the challenges posed by wearable technology and provide advice on permanent regulation.
Norway's temporary ban follows unease about camera glasses in other European countries. In the last few weeks, a debate about smart glasses has been brewing in the Netherlands, following media reports and advocacy group concerns. An official from the country's data privacy group told Parliament they want to wait for findings from a broader European Union report on the matter before taking any action. Meanwhile, Hans Anders, a large eyewear retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium, has paused selling Meta glasses in its stores.
"We're excited that our glasses continue to be very popular for listening to music, making calls, or getting live translations, so we're continuing to expand styles and features around the world," a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider in response to the Norway ban.
"Every pair with a camera has a bright light on the front that blinks when you take a photo or video," they said. "It can't be turned off, and the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it -- something smartphones and other cameras don't have."
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Katie Notopoulos is a senior correspondent at Business Insider who writes about technology, business, and culture. Previously, Katie was a tech reporter at BuzzFeed News and has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, Fast Company, and MIT Technology Review.
Americká vláda plánuje poskytnout společnosti Vistra úvěr ve výši 4,2 mld. USD na zvýšení výkonu jaderných elektráren; Meta již uzavřela smlouvu na odběr více než 2,6 GW na 20 let.
The U.S. government plans to lend Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) about $4.2 billion to increase output from its nuclear fleet. Much of that new output already has a buyer.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright is expected to appear at Vistra’s nuclear plant on Lake Erie in Ohio on Monday afternoon. The money would pay for upgrades at three or more of Vistra’s four nuclear stations.
"By getting more power out of the nuclear plants we already have, we can deliver more affordable, reliable, around the-clock energy for American families and businesses,” Wright said in a prepared statement.
Vistra shares were up 4.1% at $145.81 late Monday morning, per Benzinga Pro data.
Meta Came FirstIn January, Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) signed 20-year agreements to buy power from Vistra’s Perry and Davis-Besse plants in Ohio and its Beaver Valley plant in Pennsylvania.
The deal sends more than 2.6 GW to Meta’s AI data centers in the PJM region. Of that, Reuters reported 433 MW will come from uprates. Those megawatts don’t exist yet.
On its fourth-quarter call, Vistra said the Meta agreements cover 2,176 MW of operating capacity. The uprates make up the rest.
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The TradeThe loan puts federal money behind megawatts with a signed buyer. A 20-year hyperscaler contract largely removes demand risk, and cheaper government debt cuts the cost of building the extra capacity.
Execution risk is lower, too. Vistra can do the uprates without new licenses from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Reuters noted. Operators usually use slightly more enriched fuel or install bigger equipment, such as new main turbines.
The Energy Department’s lending office can cover up to 80% of a project’s cost, CNBC reported. Its UPRISE program aims to add 2.5 GW from existing reactors by 2027 and 5 GW by 2029.
Joining Constellation and SouthernVistra joins a growing list of borrowers. Constellation Energy Corp. (NASDAQ:CEG) got a $1 billion loan last November to restart Three Mile Island. In February, Southern Co. (NYSE:SO) was offered $26.54 billion, the largest loan in the office’s history.
Still Far Below the HighVST Stock Price Activity: Vistra shares were up 4.09% at $145.74 at the time of publication on Monday, according to data from Benzinga Pro. Even with Monday’s gain, Vistra stock is about 33% below its 52-week high of $217.10. The 52-week low is $132.66.
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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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Reality Labs snížila provozní ztrátu v 1. čtvrtletí na 4,03 mld. USD, zatímco tržby vzrostly o 16 % na 431 mil. USD díky prodeji brýlí s umělou inteligencí.
Meta spent years burning billions on a metaverse nobody wanted, but something quiet is happening inside Reality Labs that could force the market to rethink the entire company's valuation.
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Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) trades at $728.08. Reality Labs lost about $19.2 billion in 2025. Meta is quietly rebuilding that unit around AI glasses, and the shift could change how the market values the whole company.
Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which reach 3.60 billion daily active people. The stock was trading at $597.37 when Meta reported a second-quarter earnings miss. It then gained 22.9% over the past month before falling 3.14% last week on AI spending concerns.
AI Glasses and a Growing Ad Engine Make the Math Work Ad revenue rose 27% to $59.36 billion. Ad impressions grew 14%, and the average price per ad climbed 12%. Advantage+ hit an annual run rate above $75 billion. Even so, Meta trades at a forward P/E of 22 and a PEG ratio of 0.985.
Reality Labs is changing direction. Its revenue rose 16% to $431 million as AI glasses sales more than made up for lower Quest sales. The unit’s loss narrowed to $4.03 billion in Q1, and Meta cut about 8,000 jobs in May. Excluding legal and severance charges, operating income would have grown 9%.
Capex Could Become Meta’s Next Metaverse Diluted EPS of $6.18 missed the $7.22 estimate by 14.42%. That ended a six-quarter run of beats. Operating margin fell to 31% from 43%. Free cash flow dropped to $784 million from $8.55 billion as capex rose 82%.
Management raised 2026 expense guidance to $165 billion to $169 billion and expects $130 billion to $145 billion in capex. Legal charges reached $2.40 billion in the quarter. Youth-safety cases and EU ad rules add risk. Debt now stands at $83.7 billion.
Reality Labs Is Shrinking, but the AI Bill Keeps Growing Management expects 2026 operating income to top 2025’s, which supports the outlook. The bull case requires proof that the AI build-out will lift free cash flow. Q3 revenue guidance of $61 billion to $64 billion is the first test. Over the next two quarters, investors should track Reality Labs losses and whether cash flow rebuilds.
Meta Lags the S&P 500 but Has Room to Rerate Meta trades at $728.08. The average analyst target is $794.96, which means 9.2% upside. Price targets are estimates and can change. Here is how the 63 covering analysts rate the stock:
Strong Buy: 8 Buy: 47 Hold: 7 Sell: 1 The stock trades at 27 times trailing earnings. It is up 10.57% this year, while the S&P 500 is up 12.86%. Over one year, Meta returned 0.47% and the index returned 14.6%.
Meta’s Outlook Brightens as the Metaverse Drag Fades At $728.08, Meta’s setup rests on a shifting cost base.
Reality Labs was a drag with no clear return. Meta is turning it into an AI glasses business that management calls “one of the fastest growing consumer electronics of all time.” Lower Quest spending could support margins.
The bigger expense, AI infrastructure, already drives revenue. Meta says it is demand constrained and has been offered a significant premium for its compute capacity. WhatsApp-driven other revenue grew 73%.
Watch Q3 margins and the Reality Labs loss figure. Another quarter of shrinking free cash flow without faster growth would break this argument.
Meta is shrinking its largest loss-making unit while the core business grows 28%, and a forward P/E of 22 leaves room for the market to reward the turnaround.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Meta Platforms souhlasila s přibližně 18miliardovým vyrovnáním ohledně bezpečnosti mládeže, splatným v ročních splátkách po dobu 10 let po schválení soudem. Ve 3. čtvrtletí čeká asi 10miliardový účetní náklad.
What happened Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) agreed in August to an approximately $18 billion youth-safety settlement with 52 attorneys general. The payment is scheduled in annual installments over 10 years, pending judicial approval.
About $12.7 billion is allocated to participating states. The remaining approximately $5.3 billion is released only if YouTube and TikTok adopt specified protections and each makes a matching payment. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) expects to accrue an approximately $10 billion legal expense in the third quarter.
Read more: Meta Platforms (META) stock analysis and investment case Why it matters The quick answer is no: the approximately $18 billion headline is neither a fixed near-term cash bill nor the expected third-quarter accounting charge. State attorneys general describe the settlement as up to $17.1 billion, reinforcing that the public figures are estimates of a structured agreement, not one certain check.
The decisive number is 29.4%. Divide the approximately $5.3 billion conditional portion by the $18 billion headline. Nearly three-tenths of the announced amount depends on rival platforms adopting protections and funding their shares.
The approximately $10 billion expected charge is still material. In the second quarter, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) produced $31.9 billion of operating cash flow, but only $784 million of free cash flow after $31.1 billion of capital spending and finance-lease payments. An accrual is not the same as immediate cash outflow, but the comparison shows why investors cannot wave the settlement away.
The strongest countercase is not just the payment. Default time limits, night restrictions, age assurance and independent audits could raise compliance costs or change teen engagement. Other youth-related cases can also create losses outside this agreement. None of those effects is quantified yet.
Related: Can Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) Win Enterprise AI?
What's next The next earnings report should confirm the final third-quarter charge, balance-sheet treatment and cash-flow effect for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META). Investors should also watch whether YouTube and TikTok trigger the conditional funds and whether Meta changes guidance.
That evidence can change the answer. A smaller charge and slow cash schedule would limit the near-term financial hit. Higher implementation costs, weaker engagement or additional legal losses would make the settlement a broader earnings problem.
More from OptimistFi META stock: the Meta Platforms thesis, its status and the next test to watch Meta VR Glasses Put Reality Labs' Losses Back in Focus Is AI Spending Paying Off for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META)? Century Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: IPSC) Adds Two CNTY-813 Batches Stock research on every company OptimistFi covers Latest stock research and investment-case updates OptimistFi: evidence-first equity research Sources Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) youth-safety settlement terms — Published August 26, 2026. Approximate $18 billion headline, $12.7 billion state allocation, $5.3 billion conditional portion, 10-year installments and expected $10 billion third-quarter expense. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) second-quarter 2026 results — Published July 29, 2026. Operating cash flow, free cash flow, capital spending, liquidity, debt and outstanding youth-related legal risk. New York Attorney General settlement announcement — Government description of the participating states, monetary structure and mandatory teen-account reforms. Photo: Meta Platforms headquarters entrance by LPS.1 — Authentic file photograph taken March 27, 2022, at Meta's Menlo Park headquarters. Original photograph unchanged; responsive display may crop. Photo license: CC0 1.0 Universal — LPS.1 dedicated the photograph to the public domain under CC0 1.0. Read the full OptimistFi thesis on Meta Platforms, Inc.: https://optimistfi.com/stocks/META
See what would break the Meta Platforms, Inc. thesis and track it live on the OptimistFi Thesis-Break Engine.
Browse every company OptimistFi covers at optimistfi.com/stocks, or read the latest evidence-first research.
The full Meta Platforms, Inc. investment case, its status and the next test to watch live on the Meta Platforms, Inc. thesis page.
Originally published on OptimistFi, evidence-first equity research. More at optimistfi.com.
Meta Platforms v září vzrostla o 25 % díky spuštění AI agenta Meta Muse. Trh teď čeká na výsledky hospodaření za 3. čtvrtletí a první reakci na nový produkt.
Meta Platforms (META +0.30%). was one of Wall Street's best-performing stocks in September. It rose 25% during the month, turning around what had up to that point been a down year for the stock.
The major catalyst in the quarter was the launch of Meta Muse, an AI agent built for everyday use for the masses. This completely shifted the AI narrative around Meta's stock, causing the market to shift from bearish to bullish.
But with the calendar flipping to October, will the market still love the stock?
Image source: Getty Images.
Meta finally released a monetizable AI product Previously, the biggest complaint investors had about Meta Platforms as an AI investment was that it seemed to be giving everything away for free, despite investing hundreds of billions of dollars into building AI data centers. With no obvious payoff for those investments in sight, investors were left scratching their heads about when and where the profits would come from.
This caused investors who were familiar with Meta's failed metaverse vision to experience déjà vu. As a result, the stock wasn't highly valued. But all of that flipped shortly after the launch of Muse.
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Muse is one of the first AI agents built for everyday use. The AI agent can be tasked with multistep activities such as building a schedule, checking calendars, or booking travel on your behalf.
While it is technically free to use, the free tier has a relatively low monthly usage cap. Meta is betting that many people will find Muse useful enough that they will start burning through their tokens and eventually decide to pay for a subscription tier with a much higher ceiling. If that happens, the subscription services could lead to strong revenue and profit growth, which investors love.
The market sees the vision and is buying into it, which is why the stock had such a fantastic September. But what's ahead for October?
Late this month, Meta Platforms will report its third-quarter results, and Muse will likely be one of the primary topics of discussion. Investors will likely hear more about early adoption numbers and the long-term vision for this product. If the market likes what it hears, the stock could end the month strong. However, Meta no longer has the "cheap" factor going for it. While it was trading at bargain levels for some time, its September rally drove it back to a normal valuation range.
Meta's stock is no longer trading at a discount Before its rally, Meta's stock traded at less than 18 times expected forward earnings -- near its lowest valuation of the past three years.
META PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts.
Today, it is trading toward the upper end of its usual valuation range. Still, there's room for more. While some of Meta's peers' price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios are currently being skewed by one-time gains on investments, the average big tech firm tends to trade in the high 20s to the low 30s times forward earnings valuation range.
That leaves plenty of room for upside if the market gets really bullish on Meta's prospects. Still, I don't see that happening until after its Q3 results are released, when the initial reception of Muse is accounted for.
As a result, I don't think we'll see a repeat of September for Meta's stock in October, but its future looks brighter than it has been in awhile. If Muse is widely accepted and becomes a popular subscription product, the stock will have a lot more potential for upside, because there isn't a ton of growth priced into it now at just 23 times forward earnings.
That could make Meta an AI stock worth buying for the long term, as it has one of the best consumer-facing platforms for AI deployment.
Apple změní macOS, aby jasněji upozorňoval, když AI agenti žádají o přístup ke všem datům na Macu. Reaguje tak na kritiku kolem Meta Muse a obav o soukromé zprávy.
Apple (AAPL.O) said on Friday that it plans to change its Mac operating system to make it more obvious when AI agents ask to access all of the data on Macs.
Some users have criticized Meta's (META.O) Muse, an AI agent capable of carrying out complex tasks like canceling unused subscriptions or haggling for better prices. These people claimed the agent accessed what users believed to be private messages.
On Apple's iPhones and iPads, no single app can access data inside another app by default, a technique called sandboxing. But Apple's Macs are more flexible, with a "Full Disk Access" option that allows apps such as cloud backup services to access all the data on a machine, with a user's permission.
Apple on Friday said some developers were using the Full Disk Access feature in ways that could put users at risk.
"Going forward, we will introduce additional controls to ensure that users who genuinely wish to grant an app this extraordinary level of access can only do so with very explicit user action," Apple wrote in a post.
"As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially. We are committed to ensuring users clearly understand these risks before granting such access, so they can make informed decisions about their own data and privacy."
Apple's move comes after Inc magazine technology columnist Jason Aten accused Meta's Muse of reading private messages on his Mac. He said he had not enabled Full Disk Access.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone pushed back against those claims last week, saying Muse's access to Apple's Messages app is strictly opt-in.
"You have to enable both Full Disk Access and the Messages connector for Muse to be able to read your Messages content," Stone wrote on social media platform X. "It can't read your Messages unless you do this. And it can be revoked at any time."
Apple declined to comment beyond its post. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meta Platforms META , the social-media and consumer-AI company, expanded its Muse agent into small-business workflows, with shares up approximately 0.54% to $729.87 at 10.50am ET on Friday, Oct. 2. The pitch is practical: help business owners handle campaigns, customer information and routine paperwork. Meta wants AI to earn its place in the working day.
According to Meta's announcement, Muse connects with advertising accounts and tools including QuickBooks, Shopify, Slack, Stripe and Zoom. Users must approve actions before the agent publishes content, sends messages or spends money. Meta also offers subscription plans alongside free access. That gives the product a potential revenue route, although the announcement provides no paid-customer count or conversion target.
The valuation picture shows shares 15.12% below the $859.84 GF Value estimate, suggesting potential upside if that estimate holds. But a valuation gap does not prove Muse will deliver. The business test is straightforward: can the agent save enough time to attract paying users? Better campaigns could also support Meta's advertising business. Investors still need evidence that useful automation translates into meaningful revenue.
One of the largest Dutch eyewear retail chains said on Friday it had suspended sales of Meta's (META.O) Ray-Ban smart glasses in the Netherlands and Belgium amid growing privacy concerns, in one of the first such moves by a retailer.
"This decision follows the ongoing public and political debate surrounding smart glasses and the questions being raised about the conditions under which this technology can be used," a spokesperson for the Hans Anders chain said.
A growing Dutch outcry over the glasses mirrors a broader backlash against smart glasses equipped with cameras.
In Britain, pub chain Wetherspoon has restricted use of Meta's glasses over concerns about covert recording, while Meta and Luxottica face a US suit alleging videos captured by the glasses were viewed by human annotators without the knowledge of people filmed.
A Meta spokesperson said the company is continuing to develop the popular glasses. "Every pair with a camera has a bright light on the front that blinks when you take a photo or video — it can't be turned off, and the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it," they said.
In the Netherlands, privacy regulator AP last month warned that videos made with smart glasses showing identifiable people cannot generally be shared or published without their permission, which would be difficult to obtain in a public place.
Consumer rights group Consumentenbond this week said it would take Meta to court unless the company changes the glasses to comply with privacy law.
Offlimits, a group that combats online abuse, on Friday also urged Meta and Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica (ESLX.PA) to voluntarily remove the glasses from sale until a way can be found to make surreptitious recordings impossible.
EssilorLuxottica could not immediately be reached for comment.
Hans Anders is a subsidiary of Nexeye, which is owned by private equity firm KKR (KKR.N). Nexeye operates 776 stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Sweden. It does not sell the glasses in the latter three countries.
Meta Platforms říká, že její AI agent Muse se dostal na 1. místo v App Store a dál roste v popularitě. BNP Paribas ale řeší, jak na něm firma bude vydělávat.
The social media and AI business Meta Platforms Inc. (META, Financials) seems to have little issue attracting customers to its new AI agent Muse. The more difficult aspect could be figuring out how to profit from that interest.
According to BNP Paribas, Muse has reached the top of Apple's App Store and has continued to grow in popularity since its introduction last month.
As Meta fights for customers in a congested AI sector, its early adoption sends a positive signal. However, BNP brought up an issue that will become increasingly significant as Muse develops: What does monetization look like in the end?
That difference is crucial for Meta. Although broad use alone may not ensure favorable returns on the significant effort needed to build and run sophisticated AI services, a popular AI product can increase engagement throughout its ecosystem.
It is too early to assess Muse's financial impact because the source does not offer revenue statistics, paid-user data, or a clear monetization strategy.
Investors now have two different metrics for success. Meta has already demonstrated its ability to draw users to Muse. Demonstrating that such users can eventually increase income or improve the platform's overall economics is the next hurdle.
Investors will now keep an eye out for information regarding Muse engagement and, more crucially, Meta's strategy for making money off of that expanding audience.
Nové Mexiko žádá, aby Meta zaplatila 35 až 40 miliard USD na pokutách po verdiktu poroty, která firmu shledala zavádějící v otázce ochrany dat na Facebooku.
The state of New Mexico asked a judge on Thursday to order Meta Platforms (META.O) to pay between $35 billion and $40 billion in penalties after a jury found the company had misled consumers about the privacy of their data on Facebook in a case that came out of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Attorneys for New Mexico made the request at a hearing in a lawsuit brought following revelations that the British political consulting firm, which worked on Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, harvested personal data from as many as 87 million Facebook users through a third-party app without their consent.
The jury returned its verdict on September 25. Judge Francis Mathew, who oversaw the trial in Santa Fe, will decide how much Meta must pay in financial penalties.
Attorneys for Meta and New Mexico clashed at the hearing over how much was appropriate to order, with Meta arguing that the penalties the state was seeking don't match the conduct the state focused its case on at trial.
"Well, when the parties go to trial, they roll the dice," said Mathew. "They have to accept the consequences of their decision to go to trial, do they not?"
TRIAL FOCUSED ON MISSTATEMENTS
The lawsuit, filed in 2021, accused Meta of lying to Facebook users in the state about who had access to their data, how the company handles hate speech and misinformation posted on the platform and other internal policies. The company knew that third parties had broad access to users' personal data, and it tolerated hate speech or other harmful content when it benefited the company's bottom line, the state said.
Jurors examined 29 statements made by the company and its leadership on those issues and found 26 of them misleading. They said the company had committed more than 43 million violations of New Mexico’s consumer protection laws, based on the number of Facebook users or New Mexico residents who were the audience for each misleading statement.
Attorneys for Meta had argued at trial that the statements were cherry-picked snippets, and the company had repeatedly acknowledged its handling of misinformation or privacy issues was not perfect.
State law allows the judge to decide how much to fine Meta per violation, up to $5,000.
At the hearing on Thursday, Randi McGinn, a lawyer for New Mexico, said applying the full $5,000 penalty to the number of violations would create too large of a penalty under the US Constitution’s protections on due process.
But the judge should order a significant payment that will impact the company, McGinn said.
"This court should speak to Meta in the only language it understands, which is money, and the value of its stock price," McGinn said. She said $35 billion to $40 billion, which represents about 20% of the possible penalties that could be awarded under state law from the verdict, would impact the stock price while complying with Meta's right to due process under the Constitution.
At the hearing on Thursday, Matt Nicholson, a lawyer for Meta, called the state's request an "astronomical penalty that would obviously violate a host of constitutional provisions."
In court filings, Meta urged Mathew to cap the penalties at $3.45 billion. The jury may have said it found Meta’s statements misleading, but the evidence shows that Meta does not sell user data and New Mexico did not prove that any consumer had actually been misled, the company said in court filings.
The judge said he expected to issue a ruling later this month.
The case is State of New Mexico, et. al., v. Meta Platforms, Inc., case number D-101-CV-2021-00132 in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico.
For New Mexico: Randi McGinn of McGinn Montoya Love Curry & Sievers
Meta oznámila kapitálové výdaje na rok 2026 ve výši 130 až 145 miliard USD, zatímco volný cash flow ve 2. čtvrtletí spadl na 784 milionů USD z 8,55 miliardy USD.
Meta's ad machine keeps growing, but a massive capex bill just cratered free cash flow and snapped a six-quarter earnings streak. Here is whether the math actually works for doubling the stock price by 2030.
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Meta (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction | META Price Prediction) runs the biggest ad business in the world, and it is still getting faster. Ad revenue reached $59.36 billion last quarter, up 27%, across 3.60 billion daily users.
The stock trades at $720.16. It is up only 9.37% this year and down 3.53% over 12 months. Can Meta reach $1,500 per share by 2030, about double today’s price? I think there’s a real path.
A $145 Billion Spending Bill Is Holding Meta Back The problem is spending. Meta guided 2026 capex to $130 billion to $145 billion, and second-quarter free cash flow fell to $784 million from $8.55 billion. EPS of $6.18 missed expectations by 14.42%. That ended a six-quarter run of beats. A Forbes headline summed up the mood: AI overspending fears.
The recent rally is shaky. Shares gained 25.09% over the past month and 8.25% over the past week, then dropped 4.19% today. With a beta of 1.243, Meta tends to swing more than the market. Analysts keep cutting estimates too: 45 downward revisions to 2026 EPS in 30 days, against 4 up.
Wall Street Sees 9.7% Upside. Our Model Says 29.4% The consensus target is $790.27. That’s 9.7% upside, based on 8 Strong Buys, 47 Buys, 7 Holds and 0 Sells. Our one-year forecast projects $931.99, or 29.4% upside. Bear-case estimates go as low as $792.62 and bull-case estimates as high as $1,073.84, with model confidence high at 0.9.
I think the Street is too cautious. 89% of analysts are bullish, yet their targets just clear the 52-week high. The earnings growth factor (-0.013) shows one-time costs. Strip out legal charges and severance, and operating income would have grown 9%.
Here’s What It Takes for Meta to Reach $1,500 Getting from today’s $720.16 to $1,500 would take a gain of 108.3%. Forward EPS is $31.6803, so $1,500 works out to a forward P/E of 47x. The base case already means 23x. The bold target would need 24x more.
Earnings growth closes that gap. At the consensus growth rate of 19.16%, EPS would reach about $53.60 in three years. At that level, $1,500 is only 28x. Our 2030 bull path reaches $1,560.67 by September of that year.
These catalysts are real. Advantage Plus is running at over $75 billion in annual revenue. More than 1 million businesses use Meta’s business agents every week, and Meta has a BlackRock venture for a one gigawatt data center. Zuckerberg put it this way: “AI is accelerating our core business today, powering our next generation of products, and opening the door to entirely new enterprise opportunities.”
All of that data-center capacity has to be powered, cooled, and connected by somebody, which is why the suppliers behind the hyperscaler expansion keep showing up in our free report on seven AI infrastructure stocks that aren’t chipmakers.
If capex keeps growing faster than revenue, margins could stay pressured for years.
Where Meta Trades Today Versus Its Earnings Power Meta trades at 23x forward earnings with a PEG ratio of 0.985. That looks cheap for a business growing revenue at over 20%. Shares sit between a 52-week low of $519.37 and a high of $779.82.
Over 10 years, the stock has returned 464.86%. Today’s multiple leaves room for earnings growth to do most of the work.
$1,500 Is a Stretch, But Here’s Why It’s Possible Reaching $1,500 takes a 108.3% gain. I’d call it a stretch, but a reachable one. Three things need to happen. Ad growth has to stay above 20%.
Business agents and API services have to become real revenue. And capex has to start producing free cash flow again. A long ad slowdown or large legal losses from the youth-related trials could derail it.
We’ve outlined the plan for how Meta could reach $1,500 in 2030, though gains like this shouldn’t be expected every year.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Talon Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 136.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,008 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,315 shares during the quarter. Talon Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Marathon Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.3% in the second quarter. Marathon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,016 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $3,952,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Junto Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 104.1% during the 2nd quarter. Junto Capital Management LP now owns 110,841 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $62,436,000 after purchasing an additional 56,537 shares during the last quarter. Miramontes Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Miramontes Capital LLC now owns 4,813 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,711,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Core Capital Management & Research inc. bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $348,000. Finally, Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 3,345 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,884,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms Trading Down 1.6% Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $726.91 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $620.47 and a 200-day moving average of $614.49. The stock has a market cap of $1.85 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.38, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The company’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 27.94 EPS for the current year. Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.
Insider Activity at Meta Platforms In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. 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 3,348 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,708,013.06. This represents a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 151,882 shares of company stock valued at $103,032,319. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In META has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $680.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. DZ Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $725.00 target price (down from $815.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $787.86.
View Our Latest Stock Report on META
Meta Platforms News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its Muse AI agent to small businesses with integrations including Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Slack and Dropbox. The move could diversify revenue beyond advertising and create opportunities in subscriptions, transaction fees and enterprise software. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Muse as a potential multibillion-dollar growth catalyst, citing early adoption, integration across Meta’s apps and possible commercial API and subscription revenue. AI tools are also expected to improve advertising engagement and conversions. Analysts align on Meta Muse as a growth catalyst Positive Sentiment: Strategists argue Meta could be relatively resilient if AI infrastructure spending slows because it is using AI to enhance an existing advertising business rather than relying solely on hardware sales. A reported $27 billion AI-capacity agreement with Nebius also underscores continued infrastructure investment. Nvidia AI capex and Meta Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transactions reduced his holdings, but scheduled sales generally provide a weaker signal than discretionary insider trading. SEC insider ownership filing Negative Sentiment: OpenAI launched Dots, an always-on AI agent positioned against Muse, raising concerns that Meta’s newest growth story could face powerful competition from OpenAI, Google and Apple. OpenAI follows Meta into personal agents Negative Sentiment: Reports alleging that Muse accessed private messages without permission have created privacy and reputational concerns, although Meta disputes the claims. Investors are also monitoring heavy AI and data-center spending, a recent quarterly EPS miss, and questions over whether the investment will generate sufficient returns. Meta disputes Muse privacy claim Negative Sentiment: CEO Mark Zuckerberg separately sold approximately $21.4 million of stock under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. While scheduled, the sale may add to short-term investor caution following the stock’s sharp rally. Mark Zuckerberg stock sale Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Deutsche Bank Makes a Contrarian Call on Netflix—What Does It Mean for Investors? O’Reilly Automotive’s Stock Slump Hides a Stronger Business McDonald’s Stock Slump Makes Its AI Pricing Bet Even Riskier Broadcom’s AI Growth Story Faces a $161 Billion Anthropic Test
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Silicon Valley Capital Partners lifted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 13.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,799 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,114 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for 3.8% of Silicon Valley Capital Partners’ portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Silicon Valley Capital Partners’ holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $42,134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of META. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Niles Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,708,013.06. The trade was a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. 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 quarter, insiders have sold 151,882 shares of company stock valued at $103,032,319. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week: Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its Muse AI agent to small businesses with integrations including Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Slack and Dropbox. The move could diversify revenue beyond advertising and create opportunities in subscriptions, transaction fees and enterprise software. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Muse as a potential multibillion-dollar growth catalyst, citing early adoption, integration across Meta’s apps and possible commercial API and subscription revenue. AI tools are also expected to improve advertising engagement and conversions. Analysts align on Meta Muse as a growth catalyst Positive Sentiment: Strategists argue Meta could be relatively resilient if AI infrastructure spending slows because it is using AI to enhance an existing advertising business rather than relying solely on hardware sales. A reported $27 billion AI-capacity agreement with Nebius also underscores continued infrastructure investment. Nvidia AI capex and Meta Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transactions reduced his holdings, but scheduled sales generally provide a weaker signal than discretionary insider trading. SEC insider ownership filing Negative Sentiment: OpenAI launched Dots, an always-on AI agent positioned against Muse, raising concerns that Meta’s newest growth story could face powerful competition from OpenAI, Google and Apple. OpenAI follows Meta into personal agents Negative Sentiment: Reports alleging that Muse accessed private messages without permission have created privacy and reputational concerns, although Meta disputes the claims. Investors are also monitoring heavy AI and data-center spending, a recent quarterly EPS miss, and questions over whether the investment will generate sufficient returns. Meta disputes Muse privacy claim Negative Sentiment: CEO Mark Zuckerberg separately sold approximately $21.4 million of stock under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. While scheduled, the sale may add to short-term investor caution following the stock’s sharp rally. Mark Zuckerberg stock sale Analyst Ratings Changes Several research analysts recently issued reports on META shares. Arete Research increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. CICC Research decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $787.86.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on META
Meta Platforms Stock Performance NASDAQ META opened at $726.91 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The company has a 50 day moving average of $620.47 and a 200-day moving average of $614.49. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.85 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.38, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.25.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last announced 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). The business 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 firm’s revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.91%.
Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Deutsche Bank Makes a Contrarian Call on Netflix—What Does It Mean for Investors? O’Reilly Automotive’s Stock Slump Hides a Stronger Business McDonald’s Stock Slump Makes Its AI Pricing Bet Even Riskier Broadcom’s AI Growth Story Faces a $161 Billion Anthropic Test 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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The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company ve 2. čtvrtletí snížila podíl v Meta Platforms o 4,6 % a prodala 139 263 akcií. Po obchodu držela 2 878 365 akcií.
The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lessened its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,878,365 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 139,263 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up about 0.8% of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.11% of Meta Platforms worth $1,621,353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Watchman Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% in 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 position in 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 buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC raised its position 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 valued at $869,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tenzing Financial LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $726,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have recently commented on META shares. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $700.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citic Securities lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $787.86.
View Our Latest Analysis on Meta Platforms Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 151,882 shares of company stock worth $103,032,319 in the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Meta Platforms Trading Down 1.6% Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $726.91 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.85 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $620.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $614.49. 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 posted 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 company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 currently 7.91%.
Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its Muse AI agent to small businesses with integrations including Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Slack and Dropbox. The move could diversify revenue beyond advertising and create opportunities in subscriptions, transaction fees and enterprise software. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Muse as a potential multibillion-dollar growth catalyst, citing early adoption, integration across Meta’s apps and possible commercial API and subscription revenue. AI tools are also expected to improve advertising engagement and conversions. Analysts align on Meta Muse as a growth catalyst Positive Sentiment: Strategists argue Meta could be relatively resilient if AI infrastructure spending slows because it is using AI to enhance an existing advertising business rather than relying solely on hardware sales. A reported $27 billion AI-capacity agreement with Nebius also underscores continued infrastructure investment. Nvidia AI capex and Meta Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transactions reduced his holdings, but scheduled sales generally provide a weaker signal than discretionary insider trading. SEC insider ownership filing Negative Sentiment: OpenAI launched Dots, an always-on AI agent positioned against Muse, raising concerns that Meta’s newest growth story could face powerful competition from OpenAI, Google and Apple. OpenAI follows Meta into personal agents Negative Sentiment: Reports alleging that Muse accessed private messages without permission have created privacy and reputational concerns, although Meta disputes the claims. Investors are also monitoring heavy AI and data-center spending, a recent quarterly EPS miss, and questions over whether the investment will generate sufficient returns. Meta disputes Muse privacy claim Negative Sentiment: CEO Mark Zuckerberg separately sold approximately $21.4 million of stock under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. While scheduled, the sale may add to short-term investor caution following the stock’s sharp rally. Mark Zuckerberg stock sale Meta Platforms Profile (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Deutsche Bank Makes a Contrarian Call on Netflix—What Does It Mean for Investors? O’Reilly Automotive’s Stock Slump Hides a Stronger Business McDonald’s Stock Slump Makes Its AI Pricing Bet Even Riskier Broadcom’s AI Growth Story Faces a $161 Billion Anthropic Test 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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Scholtz & Company LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 21.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,805 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 3,214 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 3.3% of Scholtz & Company LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Scholtz & Company LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $6,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Watchman Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,913,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.0% in 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. CWS Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the first quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tenzing Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $726,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity at Meta Platforms In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 151,882 shares of company stock worth $103,032,319. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week: Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its Muse AI agent to small businesses with integrations including Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Slack and Dropbox. The move could diversify revenue beyond advertising and create opportunities in subscriptions, transaction fees and enterprise software. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Muse as a potential multibillion-dollar growth catalyst, citing early adoption, integration across Meta’s apps and possible commercial API and subscription revenue. AI tools are also expected to improve advertising engagement and conversions. Analysts align on Meta Muse as a growth catalyst Positive Sentiment: Strategists argue Meta could be relatively resilient if AI infrastructure spending slows because it is using AI to enhance an existing advertising business rather than relying solely on hardware sales. A reported $27 billion AI-capacity agreement with Nebius also underscores continued infrastructure investment. Nvidia AI capex and Meta Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transactions reduced his holdings, but scheduled sales generally provide a weaker signal than discretionary insider trading. SEC insider ownership filing Negative Sentiment: OpenAI launched Dots, an always-on AI agent positioned against Muse, raising concerns that Meta’s newest growth story could face powerful competition from OpenAI, Google and Apple. OpenAI follows Meta into personal agents Negative Sentiment: Reports alleging that Muse accessed private messages without permission have created privacy and reputational concerns, although Meta disputes the claims. Investors are also monitoring heavy AI and data-center spending, a recent quarterly EPS miss, and questions over whether the investment will generate sufficient returns. Meta disputes Muse privacy claim Negative Sentiment: CEO Mark Zuckerberg separately sold approximately $21.4 million of stock under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. While scheduled, the sale may add to short-term investor caution following the stock’s sharp rally. Mark Zuckerberg stock sale Meta Platforms Price Performance NASDAQ:META opened at $726.91 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.85 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $620.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $614.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23.
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 (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 business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 7.91%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts have recently issued reports on META shares. Roth Capital cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. CICC Research lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 price objective (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $886.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $787.86.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Meta Platforms
(Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Deutsche Bank Makes a Contrarian Call on Netflix—What Does It Mean for Investors? O’Reilly Automotive’s Stock Slump Hides a Stronger Business McDonald’s Stock Slump Makes Its AI Pricing Bet Even Riskier Broadcom’s AI Growth Story Faces a $161 Billion Anthropic Test
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Meta Platforms spustila agenty Muse AI, kteří mohou přinést nové příjmy z předplatného, transakcí a affiliate poplatků. První ohlas je silný: v USA a Kanadě měli za 12 dní 1,8 milionu stažení.
Meta Platforms' (META -1.84%) stock has emerged from its slumber, but I think the best days are still ahead of it as its AI infrastructure spending begins to pay off with new revenue streams. The stock has spent much of the past year down from its summer 2025 highs, but recently climbed back to breakeven year-over-year thanks to a strong rebound since mid-August, when it traded below $550.
The stock really broke out following the debut of its Muse AI agents. Over the past couple of years, Meta has invested heavily in AI, both through significant infrastructure capital expenditures and by poaching top AI talent from other companies, promising to become a leader in what it calls "personal superintelligence." However, given how Meta spent tens of billions of dollars on its metaverse ambitions and came away with essentially nothing to show for it, investors have been skeptical about the social media company's increasing AI-related capex.
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AI agents add more revenue streams That all changed with the launch of Meta Platforms' Muse AI agent, which introduced an intriguing product that could open up multiple new revenue streams. Muse AI agents can independently perform a wide array of multistep tasks for users starting from simple initial instructions, including making appointments and reservations, planning and booking trips, shopping, writing emails, creating budgets, and even negotiating with companies to lower bills. The agents are free to use, and Meta won't share the data with its ad systems. However, the company can monetize the agents in a couple of ways.
First, its free tier has a limited number of tokens, so power users who want to do more with Muse will need to buy higher-usage subscriptions. The $20-a-month plan includes 500 million tokens per week, while the $100-per-month maximum plans include 3 billion tokens per week. The latter subscription is largely for those who plan to use AI agents constantly.
There are no other differences between the plans besides token use. Meta expects most users to remain on its free plan, but that does give it a nice start toward a recurring subscription business.
The bigger revenue opportunity for Meta is through transaction processing and affiliate fees. The company will take a small cut of the proceeds when its AI Muse agents help facilitate transactions or direct users to certain products. Another huge opportunity involves using Muse agents to automate and monetize its large Facebook Marketplace presence, which currently generates little revenue.
The early reception for the agents has been strong. According to Apptopia, the new app saw 1.8 million downloads in the U.S. and Canada within its first 12 days. SimilarWeb reported approximately 700,000 daily users just 11 days after its introduction. Evercore analyst Mark Mahaney, meanwhile, is predicting Muse will reach 100 million users over the next six to 12 months.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
Meta also has plans to move its agents beyond personal AI. A few weeks after its original announcement, the company introduced Muse agents for small businesses, connecting them to popular software platforms such as Salesforce's Slack, Zoom, Box, and Canva. Similar to personal agents, the commercial version of the service will have a free tier with relatively low usage limits and subscription tiers with higher ones.
Meta also announced that it is launching an enterprise platform that will bring together its AI agents, AI models, coding tools, and AI infrastructure on one platform. This is a much broader and deeper push, and the company poached MongoDB CEO Chirantan "CJ" Desai to lead the charge. This is a huge opportunity, but it also pits the company against some pretty large foes.
Time to buy the stock? Despite the recent jump in its stock price, Meta is still attractively valued, trading at 21 times analysts' 2027 earnings estimates. Meanwhile, it's been seeing strong growth in its core social media advertising business, with AI helping improve its recommendation algorithm to keep users on its platform longer and boost ad conversions.
Meta was already hitting on all cylinders with its core business, so if you add new revenue streams beyond advertising, it has the potential to become the next big AI stock in the coming years. Expect its recent rebound to continue as it demonstrates that its AI investments were worthwhile.
Darsana Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 300,000 shares of the social networking company’s stock, valued at approximately $168,987,000. Meta Platforms comprises about 0.8% of Darsana Capital Partners LP’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RHL Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $750.42, for a total transaction of $709,897.32. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 8,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,621,706.08. The trade was a 9.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 151,882 shares of company stock valued at $103,032,319. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $726.91 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $779.82. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $620.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $614.49. 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 $1.85 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 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, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 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 was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.91%.
Meta Platforms News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its Muse AI agent to small businesses with integrations including Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Slack and Dropbox. The move could diversify revenue beyond advertising and create opportunities in subscriptions, transaction fees and enterprise software. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Muse as a potential multibillion-dollar growth catalyst, citing early adoption, integration across Meta’s apps and possible commercial API and subscription revenue. AI tools are also expected to improve advertising engagement and conversions. Analysts align on Meta Muse as a growth catalyst Positive Sentiment: Strategists argue Meta could be relatively resilient if AI infrastructure spending slows because it is using AI to enhance an existing advertising business rather than relying solely on hardware sales. A reported $27 billion AI-capacity agreement with Nebius also underscores continued infrastructure investment. Nvidia AI capex and Meta Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transactions reduced his holdings, but scheduled sales generally provide a weaker signal than discretionary insider trading. SEC insider ownership filing Negative Sentiment: OpenAI launched Dots, an always-on AI agent positioned against Muse, raising concerns that Meta’s newest growth story could face powerful competition from OpenAI, Google and Apple. OpenAI follows Meta into personal agents Negative Sentiment: Reports alleging that Muse accessed private messages without permission have created privacy and reputational concerns, although Meta disputes the claims. Investors are also monitoring heavy AI and data-center spending, a recent quarterly EPS miss, and questions over whether the investment will generate sufficient returns. Meta disputes Muse privacy claim Negative Sentiment: CEO Mark Zuckerberg separately sold approximately $21.4 million of stock under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. While scheduled, the sale may add to short-term investor caution following the stock’s sharp rally. Mark Zuckerberg stock sale Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $770.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Phillip Securities upgraded Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and cut their target price for the company from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $600.00 price target (down from $700.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $787.86.
Get Our Latest Analysis on META
Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Deutsche Bank Makes a Contrarian Call on Netflix—What Does It Mean for Investors? O’Reilly Automotive’s Stock Slump Hides a Stronger Business McDonald’s Stock Slump Makes Its AI Pricing Bet Even Riskier Broadcom’s AI Growth Story Faces a $161 Billion Anthropic Test
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.
Junto Capital Management LP ve 2. čtvrtletí zvýšil svůj podíl v Meta Platforms o 104,1 % na 110 841 akcií po nákupu dalších 56 537 kusů. Hodnota podílu činila 62,436 milionu USD.
Junto Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 104.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 110,841 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 56,537 shares during the quarter. Junto Capital Management LP’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $62,436,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $34,734,628,000 after acquiring an additional 878,396 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at $22,152,075,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $12,013,948,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046,715 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $750.42, for a total transaction of $709,897.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 8,824 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,621,706.08. This trade represents a 9.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 151,882 shares of company stock valued at $103,032,319. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms Stock Performance Shares of META stock opened at $726.91 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.85 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $620.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $614.49. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is 7.91%.
Key Meta Platforms News Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its Muse AI agent to small businesses with integrations including Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Slack and Dropbox. The move could diversify revenue beyond advertising and create opportunities in subscriptions, transaction fees and enterprise software. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Muse as a potential multibillion-dollar growth catalyst, citing early adoption, integration across Meta’s apps and possible commercial API and subscription revenue. AI tools are also expected to improve advertising engagement and conversions. Analysts align on Meta Muse as a growth catalyst Positive Sentiment: Strategists argue Meta could be relatively resilient if AI infrastructure spending slows because it is using AI to enhance an existing advertising business rather than relying solely on hardware sales. A reported $27 billion AI-capacity agreement with Nebius also underscores continued infrastructure investment. Nvidia AI capex and Meta Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transactions reduced his holdings, but scheduled sales generally provide a weaker signal than discretionary insider trading. SEC insider ownership filing Negative Sentiment: OpenAI launched Dots, an always-on AI agent positioned against Muse, raising concerns that Meta’s newest growth story could face powerful competition from OpenAI, Google and Apple. OpenAI follows Meta into personal agents Negative Sentiment: Reports alleging that Muse accessed private messages without permission have created privacy and reputational concerns, although Meta disputes the claims. Investors are also monitoring heavy AI and data-center spending, a recent quarterly EPS miss, and questions over whether the investment will generate sufficient returns. Meta disputes Muse privacy claim Negative Sentiment: CEO Mark Zuckerberg separately sold approximately $21.4 million of stock under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. While scheduled, the sale may add to short-term investor caution following the stock’s sharp rally. Mark Zuckerberg stock sale Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research analysts have commented on META shares. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $865.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $640.00 to $796.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $787.86.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on META
Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Deutsche Bank Makes a Contrarian Call on Netflix—What Does It Mean for Investors? O’Reilly Automotive’s Stock Slump Hides a Stronger Business McDonald’s Stock Slump Makes Its AI Pricing Bet Even Riskier Broadcom’s AI Growth Story Faces a $161 Billion Anthropic Test
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 Platforms (META - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $725.18, demonstrating a -1.84% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.25%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 0.86%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.24%.
The stock of social media company has risen by 27.7% in the past month, leading the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 4% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.42%.
Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Meta Platforms in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company is expected to report EPS of $6.39, down 11.86% from the prior-year quarter. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $63.18 billion, indicating a 23.3% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.
For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $31.39 per share and a revenue of $254.04 billion, representing changes of +33.63% and +26.41%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Meta Platforms. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.82% downward. Meta Platforms is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Digging into valuation, Meta Platforms currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 23.54. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 18.78 for its industry.
One should further note that META currently holds a PEG ratio of 1.15. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The average PEG ratio for the Internet - Software industry stood at 1.15 at the close of the market yesterday.
The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 86, finds itself in the top 35% echelons of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.
SVB Wealth LLC lowered its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 3.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,720 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 1,057 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.0% of SVB Wealth LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. SVB Wealth LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $16,741,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $34,734,628,000 after purchasing an additional 878,396 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at $22,152,075,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $12,013,948,000 after buying an additional 1,046,715 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Meta Platforms Stock Up 3.3% Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $739.43 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $618.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $613.86. The firm has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.85, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.25.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is 7.91%.
Insider Activity at Meta Platforms In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 150,307 shares of company stock worth $101,851,357. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Meta Platforms News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded Muse for Small Business, adding integrations with Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Dropbox and Slack. The initiative could create subscription, transaction and enterprise-software revenue streams while reducing the company’s reliance on digital advertising. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Muse’s rapid adoption and potential to become a multibillion-dollar growth catalyst. Its integration with Meta’s large Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp user base may support future subscriptions, commerce fees, advertising improvements and AI-api revenue. Beyond advertising: analysts align on Meta Muse Positive Sentiment: Meta’s push into business AI was reinforced by its new Meta Enterprise Platform and the hiring of former MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the effort. The move signals an attempt to monetize substantial AI infrastructure spending through corporate customers. Meta launches enterprise AI platform Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its META price target to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating. Analysts also point to AI-driven increases in advertising engagement, clicks and conversions as evidence that current investments may strengthen Meta’s core business. Meta Platforms price target raised Neutral Sentiment: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares for approximately $21.4 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance, it is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. Mark Zuckerberg sells Meta shares Negative Sentiment: OpenAI unveiled its always-on Dots agents, creating a direct competitive threat to Muse in consumer and enterprise AI. Reports that Muse exposed private information, including a user’s address, also raise privacy, safety, regulatory and reputational risks. OpenAI unveils Dots agents Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to weigh Meta’s sharply higher AI and data-center expenses against uncertain returns. The company also faces scrutiny over teen safety, data practices and potential regulation, which could increase costs or constrain monetization. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts have commented on the company. Arete Research lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. HSBC cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $725.00 price objective (down from $815.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Evercore increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $787.86.
Read Our Latest Research Report on META
Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms CarMax Just Gave Investors a Better Reason to Believe in the Turnaround CoreWeave Comes With Risks: Analysts Split on What Matters Most Bottlenecking the Future: TSMC Prices Out the Competition Fervo Energy Hits Geothermal Milestone: Will It Matter For The Stock? 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's AI story has dramatically improved, but Wall Street's earnings estimates haven't followed the stock higher yet. Summary
Meta shares are roughly 42% above their 52-week lows following a sharp rebound.
Meta Platforms (META, Financials) is soaring as investors are increasingly positive about its potential to monetize big AI investment.
TipRanks data indicate the stock is around 42% above its 52-week lows. But Wall Street's profit projections haven't kept pace.
Consensus expectations predict 2026 earnings of $30.92 per share, down from $31.77 three months ago. The forecast for 2027 has been reduced to $34.84 from $36.32.
But the confidence is about Meta's nascent AI products.
Muse has been downloaded 2.8 million times in its first 12 days in the U.S. and Canada. TD Cowen has projected out the AI agent someday producing $27 billion in yearly revenue, but that's an analyst scenario, not Meta advice.
Meta is also getting into corporate AI with its recently announced Meta corporate Platform, which is planned to bring together Muse, Business Agents, coding tools and other products.
Meta currently trades at roughly 23.1 times forecast non-GAAP profits, or about 4.9% over its five-year average.
After the stock's fast bounce, the next test for Meta's rising AI aspirations is whether it can convert into increased profit projections.
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.
Meta Platforms ve středu oslabila, protože investoři zvažovali hrozbu nového AI agenta Dots od OpenAI pro platformu Muse. Akcie byly odpoledne o 0,2 % níže.
Meta Platforms META shares were under pressure on Wednesday even as broader US markets moved higher, as investors weighed the potential threat from OpenAI’s newly launched Dots AI agent to the social media giant’s fast-growing Muse platform.
The stock started the session down by almost 2%, but picked up later in the day, and was down 0.2% in afternoon trading.
The stock has gained more than 28% over the past month, helped by enthusiasm around Muse, which has emerged as a key part of Meta’s consumer artificial intelligence strategy.
But the launch of Dots has prompted investors to reassess whether Meta can maintain its early lead in the increasingly competitive AI agent market.
At the same time, StoneX analyst Mark Zgutowicz warned that Meta's muse could actually intensify concerns over the company's enormous AI infrastructure spending rather than alleviate them, adding to investors' worries.
OpenAI is rolling out Dots as an “always-on” AI agent app designed to compete with Meta’s Muse.
While Meta shares initially rallied on Tuesday afternoon following OpenAI’s presentation, the stock reversed course in Wednesday trading.
Investors had already anticipated greater competition for Muse after its viral launch earlier this month helped propel Meta shares more than 30% higher.
However, Evercore ISI analyst Mark Mahaney said Dots currently has a more limited distribution model than Muse.
“Importantly, unlike Meta's Muse, Dots is not launching as a broadly available consumer product, as access is initially concentrated in premium professional and business plans,” Mahaney told clients late Tuesday.
“For now, we see Meta with Muse as the clear leader in the personal AI agent space.”
Dots is initially available to users of OpenAI’s $100-a-month Pro plan and Business Premium plans, alongside more expensive custom tiers such as Enterprise. OpenAI has said it intends to “expand to more users soon.”
By comparison, Muse offers users free access to its core capabilities, with paid plans available for heavier usage.
The app provides more than 100 million weekly AI tokens, while power users can increase their allocation through $20- and $100-a-month subscription options.
Mahaney said the difference in access could play an important role in determining how quickly the two products gain users.
“We think that accessibility and massive distribution will continue to give Meta an early advantage in consumer adoption, while OpenAI's existing relationships with businesses and professional users could help Dots gain traction in more complex and economically valuable work,” he added.
Meta is also expanding Muse beyond individual consumers.
The company unveiled Muse for Small Business on Tuesday, allowing its AI agent to connect with software from Asana, Zoom, Intuit, Box, Canva and Salesforce’s Slack.
The tool can also connect with Meta advertising accounts and professional Instagram and Facebook profiles.
Pricing remains aligned with the existing Muse offering, which is free within usage limits and available through subscriptions for higher usage.
AI spending remains a concernDespite the enthusiasm around Muse, StoneX analyst Mark Zgutowicz warned that the product could intensify concerns over Meta’s enormous AI infrastructure spending rather than alleviate them.
Zgutowicz, who has a Hold rating on Meta, said Muse’s infrastructure requirements could put further pressure on the company’s returns.
“We…see Muse’s materially higher infrastructure-intensity adding to, not relieving pressure from, Meta’s existing ROIC debate,” he said.
Meta expects to roughly double capital expenditures to about $140 billion this year as it invests heavily to compete with other Big Tech companies in AI.
The scale of the spending has raised questions among investors over whether the investments will generate sufficient returns.
The launch of Muse has nevertheless prompted a wave of bullish analyst actions.
JPMorgan analysts led by Doug Anmuth raised their Meta price target to $920 from $820 earlier this month, saying Muse could become “the most widely used consumer AI application since ChatGPT.”
Citizens raised its target to $885 from $770, while KeyBanc analyst Justin Patterson lifted his target to $900 from $780.
Cantor Fitzgerald also raised its target to $860 from $680.
The series of target increases has strengthened investor expectations that Meta’s AI investments could eventually create new monetization opportunities, although the emergence of Dots highlights the competitive pressure facing the company as it expands further into AI.
NorthRock Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 6.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,214 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,164 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $11,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Watchman Group Inc. boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Penney Financial LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the 1st 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 period. 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 worth $869,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the first quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tenzing Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total transaction of $643,535.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,646,237.90. This trade represents a 8.83% 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. Insiders sold 150,307 shares of company stock worth $101,851,357 over the last three months. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms Price Performance META stock opened at $739.43 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $618.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $613.86. The firm has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The business’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 7.91%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Moffett Nathanson cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho set a $750.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $920.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $787.86.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Meta Platforms
Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded Muse for Small Business, adding integrations with Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Dropbox and Slack. The initiative could create subscription, transaction and enterprise-software revenue streams while reducing the company’s reliance on digital advertising. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Muse’s rapid adoption and potential to become a multibillion-dollar growth catalyst. Its integration with Meta’s large Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp user base may support future subscriptions, commerce fees, advertising improvements and AI-api revenue. Beyond advertising: analysts align on Meta Muse Positive Sentiment: Meta’s push into business AI was reinforced by its new Meta Enterprise Platform and the hiring of former MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the effort. The move signals an attempt to monetize substantial AI infrastructure spending through corporate customers. Meta launches enterprise AI platform Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its META price target to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating. Analysts also point to AI-driven increases in advertising engagement, clicks and conversions as evidence that current investments may strengthen Meta’s core business. Meta Platforms price target raised Neutral Sentiment: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares for approximately $21.4 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance, it is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. Mark Zuckerberg sells Meta shares Negative Sentiment: OpenAI unveiled its always-on Dots agents, creating a direct competitive threat to Muse in consumer and enterprise AI. Reports that Muse exposed private information, including a user’s address, also raise privacy, safety, regulatory and reputational risks. OpenAI unveils Dots agents Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to weigh Meta’s sharply higher AI and data-center expenses against uncertain returns. The company also faces scrutiny over teen safety, data practices and potential regulation, which could increase costs or constrain monetization. Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms CarMax Just Gave Investors a Better Reason to Believe in the Turnaround CoreWeave Comes With Risks: Analysts Split on What Matters Most Bottlenecking the Future: TSMC Prices Out the Competition Fervo Energy Hits Geothermal Milestone: Will It Matter For The Stock?
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NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 3.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 422,101 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,070 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up about 0.7% of NewEdge Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $237,765,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Key Meta Platforms News Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded Muse for Small Business, adding integrations with Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Dropbox and Slack. The initiative could create subscription, transaction and enterprise-software revenue streams while reducing the company’s reliance on digital advertising. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Muse’s rapid adoption and potential to become a multibillion-dollar growth catalyst. Its integration with Meta’s large Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp user base may support future subscriptions, commerce fees, advertising improvements and AI-api revenue. Beyond advertising: analysts align on Meta Muse Positive Sentiment: Meta’s push into business AI was reinforced by its new Meta Enterprise Platform and the hiring of former MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the effort. The move signals an attempt to monetize substantial AI infrastructure spending through corporate customers. Meta launches enterprise AI platform Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its META price target to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating. Analysts also point to AI-driven increases in advertising engagement, clicks and conversions as evidence that current investments may strengthen Meta’s core business. Meta Platforms price target raised Neutral Sentiment: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares for approximately $21.4 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance, it is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. Mark Zuckerberg sells Meta shares Negative Sentiment: OpenAI unveiled its always-on Dots agents, creating a direct competitive threat to Muse in consumer and enterprise AI. Reports that Muse exposed private information, including a user’s address, also raise privacy, safety, regulatory and reputational risks. OpenAI unveils Dots agents Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to weigh Meta’s sharply higher AI and data-center expenses against uncertain returns. The company also faces scrutiny over teen safety, data practices and potential regulation, which could increase costs or constrain monetization. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $725.00 price target (down from $815.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Roth Capital lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $787.86. View Our Latest Stock Report on META
Insider Buying and Selling In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a 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, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% 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 quarter, insiders have sold 150,307 shares of company stock worth $101,851,357. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Meta Platforms Trading Up 3.3% Meta Platforms stock opened at $739.43 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. The business’s fifty day moving average is $618.47 and its 200 day moving average is $613.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.25. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business 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%.Meta Platforms’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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 is 7.91%.
About Meta Platforms (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
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Meta podle článku využívá daňový kredit na výzkum a experimentování i na svá AI datová centra, čímž loni snížila daňový účet téměř o 4 miliardy USD. Firma sama přitom varuje, že tuto úsporu může IRS zpochybnit.
Mark Zuckerberg says Meta’s A.I. push is a tremendous success. “Our investments in A.I. are accelerating every major part of our core business,” he has told investors. “Every sign that we’re seeing in our own work and across the industry gives us confidence in this investment.”
But when Meta files its taxes, it tells the Internal Revenue Service a different story. It claims that its A.I. data centers are a giant experiment that could fail, according to four people with knowledge of the company’s operations.
It does this so it can tap into a tax credit intended for research and experimentation. It’s an aggressive interpretation of the tax break, which Meta embraced to claim billions of dollars in tax credits for data center expansion.
Characterizing its A.I. data centers as experimental is “kind of wild and out there,” said Andre Shevchuck, a partner at the advisory firm BPM who specializes in the research and experimentation tax credit.
Indeed, Meta’s own accountants recognize that the strategy is on shaky legal ground. In disclosures buried in securities filings, the tech giant warns that billions in tax savings are vulnerable to being overturned by the I.R.S., in large part because of “uncertainties with our research tax credits.”
Here’s what Meta is doing: For tax purposes, the company classifies its enormous, multibillion-dollar data centers as “pilot models.” Under a tax credit created in the 1980s to spur innovation, companies can get a rebate for supplies, but only if they are being tested in an experimental effort, not standard business operations. Meta is claiming that the costly A.I. computer chips it buys from companies, including Nvidia, are entitled to a taxpayer-provided discount as part of the experiment.
The move caused some unease within Meta’s finance department. The I.R.S. in the past has challenged companies that claimed the credit for basic supplies. While thousands of companies, including other tech giants, get huge benefits from the research tax credit, they do so overwhelmingly for salaries paid to researchers and engineers — the people carrying out innovation.
Meta’s use of the tax break for the data centers has not been previously reported. The New York Times reviewed securities filings and conducted multiple interviews, including with the people familiar with Meta’s operations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss proprietary matters.
The company started claiming the credit for the data centers two years ago. Since then, Meta’s savings from the credit have soared, trimming almost $4 billion off its tax bill last year, filings show. Meta is now the biggest beneficiary of the tax credit among publicly traded companies, a Times review of securities filings found.
Aggressive bets like these often pan out for big companies: Even if the I.R.S. balks, companies can settle disputes and still wind up ahead.
Meta is already in one sizable dispute with the I.R.S. over this tax break, for using it to subsidize its chief executive’s multibillion-dollar pay package. In 2013, Meta claimed that $4.1 billion of stock options exercised by Mr. Zuckerberg counted as a research expense because he helped invent new software, such as Facebook’s News Feed. The I.R.S. is trying to claw back the company’s resulting $355 million in tax savings, court filings show.
The social media company’s stock is soaring, and it is now worth nearly $2 trillion thanks in part to how its A.I. efforts have improved Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook. This month, Meta released Muse, a personal A.I. agent that immediately became the most downloaded app for iPhone and Android users. Meta and other tech giants’ A.I. efforts have also been helped by an accelerated write-off for research and development expenses that stemmed from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in 2025.
“Meta is one of the largest investors in research and development in the United States,” said Andy Stone, a company spokesman. “Over the last five years, Meta invested $200 billion in R&D — $57 billion in the last year alone, advancing frontier research, building new technology and supporting American jobs. Like other companies that invest at this scale, we use the tax incentives Congress established decades ago to encourage this type of domestic investment.”
A Very Favorable Tax Credit
The tax break dates to the first year of the Reagan administration, when Japan was a global leader in technological innovation. Business lobbyists and legislators were worried that America’s fledgling tech sector would fall behind, so Congress created the Research & Experimentation Tax Credit as an incentive to take risks and invest in inventions that might not pan out commercially. A few years after the credit was created, a government report said it had been used to develop, among other things, electronic banking equipment and drugs to treat cancer.
Tax rules already permitted tech companies to write off research expenses from their taxable income. The new credit was even more generous and could be taken on top of the deduction. But it was harder to qualify for. Companies have to meet a complex four-part test to prove they are running an experiment, not just rolling out a new product.
In the summer of 2024, Meta was ramping up its efforts to compete in the Silicon Valley A.I. race, breaking ground on tens of thousands of acres of data centers across the country. This was an expensive endeavor. One of the biggest expenses of any A.I. data center was computer chips, which are made by companies like Nvidia and cost thousands of dollars each. A Meta employee overseeing the build-out had a creative idea to offset the costs: Tap the credit.
Chips, like these from Nvidia, are the backbone of A.I. data centers. — Christie Hemm Klok for The New York Times
The credit is meant to spur innovation by encouraging companies to tackle unsolved problems and technical challenges. While Meta is testing different physical layouts for server racks and looking for the best way to network thousands of chips for A.I. training, the chips themselves are known to work. They have been at the center of A.I.’s progress for the last decade and turned Nvidia into the world’s most valuable company.
Some in Meta’s finance department questioned whether this tactic would pass muster with the I.R.S., according to a person familiar with the matter. The I.R.S. has rejected other companies’ efforts to claim the credit for “proven and commercially available equipment and technology.”
The company sought advice from lawyers at multiple firms, who pointed to a relevant case from 2021, in which a federal judge denied the research tax break to an Indiana shipbuilder for the cost of building new types of vessels. Simply creating a new product wasn’t enough; a company must pinpoint the specific components of a project that were technically uncertain** **and prove it used scientific experiments to overcome that uncertainty.
One of the lawyers Meta consulted was Jeffrey Moeller at Ivins, Phillips and Barker, people familiar with the conversations said. Mr. Moeller represented the pharmaceutical maker Bayer in a $200 million dispute with the I.R.S. over research tax credits. In an interview, he would not comment specifically on Meta. But he did say the rules could permit claiming the credit on commercially available, proven products — if they were supplies required to resolve the uncertainty of a project.
Another lawyer consulted by Meta, those people said, was Alex Sadler, a former Department of Justice tax lawyer and now a partner at Morgan Lewis, which declined a request to interview him. But when he spoke at a tax conference in Virginia this month, Mr. Sadler said that pilot models were an “area of controversy” and that the I.R.S. “doesn’t like” when companies characterize commercial production as research to claim the credit. The I.R.S. takes issue with the use of the research tax credit for “big things,” he said.
“What if we have a $10 billion data center that does cool stuff that hasn’t really been done?” he said. “Is all the cost a research expenditure?”
After a few months of deliberation, Meta took the plunge. It started labeling chips bound for A.I. data centers differently for tax purposes from those sent to standard data centers, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
Risky Business
The strategy has been lucrative. Meta said the research tax credit shaved $2 billion off its taxes in 2024, and then $3.9 billion in 2025.
That is a significant increase from the $700 million the company reported in 2023, the year before it embarked on its data center strategy.
At the very top of the company, Meta executives kept the tax strategy close to the vest, two people with knowledge of the discussions said.
But because the I.R.S. was likely to challenge this new and untested accounting magic, the company had to acknowledge the risk in a securities disclosure called “unrecognized tax benefits.” That is essentially the gap between what Meta paid to the I.R.S. and how much it might owe if tax authorities challenge its maneuvers. It’s a warning to investors that Meta made a bet, and the amount of the gap reflects the odds of losing, as determined by a company’s tax advisers.
A Meta A.I. data center under construction in northeast El Paso. — Paul Ratje for The New York Times
Since Meta began its research credit A.I. strategy, the amount set aside to cover those tax bets increased 45 percent — to $18.74 billion today from $12.9 billion two years ago. The contributing factor listed first in its annual financial filing is “uncertainties with our research tax credits.”
Other major tech companies, including Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft, also report research tax credits of more than $1 billion a year. But none of them have flagged the research tax credit as a risk in their financial reports to investors or disclosed whether they have used it for A.I. data centers.
“Meta is claiming billions of dollars in tax benefits that its own accountants are telling investors are at risk of being overturned by the I.R.S.,” said Lisa De Simone, a former tax adviser at EY who teaches accounting at the University of Texas business school.
Mr. Stone, the Meta spokesman, said that “unrecognized tax benefits are simply a mandated accounting measure of uncertainty.” He called them a “snapshot in time reflecting the status of unresolved issues and reflect many different types of uncertainties.”
Another of Meta’s unresolved issues concerns one of the biggest U.S. Tax Court disputes in the country’s history: The I.R.S. is seeking nearly $16 billion in taxes and penalties on profits it says the company shifted to the Cayman Islands from the United States.
Tax credit experts said Meta was again entering choppy waters by taking this huge tax break on data centers. Shawn Marchant, who runs the credit and incentives practice at Tanner and advised on the research incentive for more than a decade at EY, said he would be “skeptical” of claiming it for all the computer chips in all the data centers. Mr. Shevchuck, the tax adviser at BPM, proposed one way it might work: “If you had a data center that you’re building out to cure cancer.”
Meta declined to answer questions about what made its A.I. data centers experimental, and why tens of billions of dollars of chips and computing equipment qualified for the research tax credit.
Meta’s auditor, EY, had to sign off on the plan. The global tax and accounting firm was among the firms that Meta consulted on using the tax credit in the first place. EY has since pitched other companies on using the research credit to buy computer chips for A.I. training.
Innovation or Creative Accounting?
James Shannon, a former U.S. representative from Massachusetts who sponsored the research tax credit in 1981, said it had been intended to support “people power, knowledge, information,” and not “making things.”_ _He was surprised to hear that a technology company would use the credit for supplying A.I. data centers.
“This has gone way, way beyond what anybody could have imagined,” Mr. Shannon said.
Whether the tax break inspires the innovation that he and other lawmakers sought is a matter of debate. Some companies appear to use the credit for spending they would do anyway, according to a study last year by economists at the University of Southern California. If companies “simply reclassify existing spending as R&D,” the researchers wrote, they are getting the tax breaks “without meaningfully financing innovation.”
The credit has become the second-most expensive federal corporate tax break, behind only the reduced rate applied to offshore profits. In its most recent estimate, the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation projected the credit would cost the government $32.1 billion in 2025.** **Meta alone would be responsible for more than a tenth of that.
ARK Investment Management v září třikrát přikoupila Meta a na financování nákupů prodala jiné AI tituly. Meta zároveň zvyšuje výdaje na AI, i když tržby rostou rychleji než u většiny firem její velikosti.
ARK Investment Management made three separate bets on Meta in September, selling rival AI giants to fund each purchase, even as Meta's expenses outpaced its revenue and a new competitor threatened its biggest growth story.
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Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment Management spent September adding to Meta (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) in three separate purchases. Meta fell 4.79% on September 28, 2026.
Meta trades at $715.62, below the $761 consensus target. The stock had climbed 23.89% over the past month before the drop, so ARK was buying into strength.
Meta is growing revenue faster than almost any company its size, but it is spending heavily on AI infrastructure. Free cash flow nearly disappeared last quarter.
Either ARK is early, or the market is correctly repricing a company whose growth now costs more than it earns. The answer depends on cash flow figures Meta has not reported yet, and on whether its new AI products start producing revenue.
ARK Sold Other AI Names to Fund Its Meta Buying ARK’s Innovation and Next Generation Internet funds bought 43,091 Meta shares worth about $28.1 million on September 9, 2026, while selling Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL).
ARK Investment Management added 10,997 shares worth $7.1 million on September 14. On September 21, ARK’s three funds bought 51,477 shares while selling CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD).
Selling one large-cap AI name to buy another reflects a relative call about which company gets more of the same trend.
ARK Investment Management bought about $28.7 million of Meta on April 30, 2026, after the stock fell 8.55% on first-quarter earnings.
Meta’s Agent Launch Lined Up With Every Purchase The September buying came alongside Meta’s push into AI agents. Its new agent product launched mid-month and quickly climbed the productivity app rankings.
Wells Fargo raised its Meta price target to $796 from $640 after the launch. A company reaching 3.6 billion daily users and shipping a work-focused product with immediate adoption has the upside scenario.
Mark Zuckerberg said more than 1 million businesses were already using Meta’s business agents weekly and called personal agents “an extremely important and massive market.”
He also spoke on the topic. He said, “there will continue to be a significantly higher margin on selling intelligence rather than selling compute directly.” If that holds, agents are where the infrastructure spending pays back.
Why Meta Fell Anyway on September 28 The drop followed reports that a rival AI lab is building a competing always-on assistant, alongside a broader repricing of software names the same day. Coverage tied the move to concerns about AI spending.
Meta is entering a new business before it has revenue from it, and serious competition lowers what investors will pay for that future revenue while building costs remain.
Meta is up 8.68% year to date, while the S&P 500 has gained 12.27%. Over one year, Meta has lost 3.47%.
Meta’s Spending Guidance Keeps Moving Higher With fourth-quarter 2025 results, Meta guided 2026 expenses to $162 billion to $169 billion. With first-quarter results, Meta raised capex guidance to $125 billion to $145 billion.
In July, the floors rose again, to $130 billion to $145 billion for capex and $165 billion to $169 billion for expenses. That much capex has to land somewhere. That is why 24/7 Wall St. featured seven of the power, cooling, and networking suppliers behind the AI expansion in a free report.
Meta reported second-quarter revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28%, while expenses rose 55%. Meta’s earnings per share fell 13% to $6.18.
Should You Buy or Sell META Stock At about 22 times forward earnings, you pay a modest multiple for a company whose ad revenue grew 27% last quarter. The core business can carry the build-out.
Management said second-quarter operating income would have risen 9% excluding legal charges and severance.
The gap to the $761 consensus looks like an opportunity, although analyst targets, including Wells Fargo’s, are one input and carry no guarantee.
Two things would falsify this call: third-quarter free cash flow staying near second-quarter levels without agent revenue, or capex guidance rising above $145 billion. Either would mean the market is right to price in lower returns on invested capital.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Investigace zjistila, že AI agent Muse od společnosti Meta Platforms lze po opakovaném zadání přimět k sestavení seznamů účtů zranitelných skupin na Facebooku a Instagramu. Muse přitom vracel 10 až 100 účtů na jeden dotaz.
Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) faces a new privacy test for Muse, its fast-growing AI agent. A Hunterbrook Media investigation found the tool could be prompted to compile lists of Facebook and Instagram accounts belonging to people in vulnerable groups.
Over two days of testing, Hunterbrook reporters used plain-language prompts to ask Muse for accounts tied to undocumented immigrants, transgender public school teachers, poll workers, Iranian dissidents, deployed Navy sailors and women who said they had ordered abortion pills in states with bans.
Muse returned between 10 and 100 accounts per prompt, according to Hunterbrook.
META stock is moving. See the real-time price action here. Benzinga reached out to Meta Platforms for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
How It WorkedAccording to Hunterbrook, the agent mined posts, comments, Reels, bios and username history across Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
Sometimes it confirmed details through web searches, surfacing a person’s full name and employer. In one case, it unmasked someone whose name had been kept out of news reports over fears of retaliation.
The guardrails were shaky, per Hunterbrook’s report. Muse sometimes refused a request, then ran the identical search after a slight rewording or a simple repeat.
Read Next
“It’s very terrifying,” said Stevie Glaberson, director of research and advocacy at Georgetown Law’s Privacy Center. “You don’t need any special training to weaponize information in this way … It puts vulnerable people and people who belong in these categories in extreme danger.”
University of California law professor Ari Ezra Waldman said the details Muse surfaced “gives someone a lot of the tools they need to go physically attack a person.”
Aaron Mackey of the Electronic Frontier Foundation called it a familiar tech pattern, “where a tool is released that can basically supercharge harms that were already present.”
Hunterbrook said it alerted Meta leadership on Sept. 22. Meta asked for more information but hasn’t answered repeated requests for comment since, Hunterbrook reported.
A Bumpy LaunchMeta rolled out Muse on Sept. 8 as an agent that can send emails, book travel and make payments, with a free tier plus $20 and $100 monthly plans. Muse passed ChatGPT as the top free iOS app in the U.S. and had more than 2.5 million downloads by Sept. 21, according to CNBC.
The rollout had already hit problems. Meta is adding a clearer safety warning inside Muse after an outside researcher found a flaw that could have exposed users’ emails and files, Reuters reported, citing The Information.
Why It MattersMuse subscriptions could give Meta revenue outside its core ad business, but privacy blowback puts that at risk.
“They care about security, I don’t know how much they care about privacy,” Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon told CNBC.
META Stock Price Activity: Meta stock was up 0.37% at $718.30 at the time of publication Tuesday, according to market data from Benzinga Pro.
Read Next
Photo: Erlin Diah / Shutterstock
This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Meta (META.O) said on Tuesday it is adding new features to Instagram's school partnership program in the US, expanding tools for schools and students as the social media company steps up efforts to protect teens online.
Here are some details:
Meta said nearly 17,000 schools have joined the program to date. The company is creating a new centralized hub for school-related accounts.
The move comes as Meta faces growing scrutiny over the impact of its platforms on younger users.
Meta agreed in August to pay up to $18 billion over the next decade and impose strict limits on teenagers' use of Facebook and Instagram to resolve claims that it designed the platforms to addict children.
Verified students at schools participating in the program will be able to access new features, including a directory of clubs and teams, school-specific stories and notes for announcements, Meta said.
The company also is introducing new Channels and Notes features for verified schools, allowing them to communicate with students, parents and the wider school community.
Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 3,768 shares of the social networking company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,122,000.
A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of META. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $69,502,379,000 after buying an additional 105,154,977 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $34,734,628,000 after buying an additional 878,396 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,152,075,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $12,013,948,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046,715 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 150,807 shares of company stock valued at $102,155,232. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades META has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. China Renaissance reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $787.86. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Meta Platforms
Key Meta Platforms News Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta launched the Meta Enterprise Platform, offering businesses and developers access to its Muse AI agent, Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code. The company hired MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the initiative, signaling an effort to generate revenue from its multibillion-dollar AI investments beyond advertising. Meta launches enterprise AI platform Positive Sentiment: Muse’s integration across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp is supporting rapid user adoption; the AI-powered app reportedly reached the top spot in the U.S. App Store. Analysts also see potential revenue from subscriptions, transaction fees, enterprise tools and commercial API licensing. Meta Platforms boosts ad engagement with AI Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its price target on META to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating, citing the company’s AI opportunity and expanding ecosystem. AI improvements are also reportedly increasing ad engagement, clicks and conversions. Meta Platforms price target raised Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over Meta’s AI strategy. Bullish analysts expect new AI agents, smart glasses and enterprise software to create additional revenue streams, while others question whether the returns will justify the investment. Negative Sentiment: Capital expenditures rose sharply to $31.1 billion in the second quarter from $19.4 billion a year earlier. The scale of data-center and AI spending is raising concerns about returns on capital and near-term margins. Meta Platforms: Are You Going to Buy the Promise? Negative Sentiment: Reports that OpenAI is developing a competing AI assistant intensified competitive concerns. Separately, alleged Muse disclosures of private messages and a user’s address have triggered privacy and safety criticism, potentially creating regulatory and reputational risks. Elon Musk amplifies privacy concerns over Muse Negative Sentiment: Meta also faces legal and political overhang after a New Mexico jury found that Facebook misled residents about personal-data practices, while lawmakers are questioning AI and data-center tax subsidies. Recent gains have additionally left the valuation less compelling, increasing sensitivity to execution disappointments. Meta Platforms Stock Down 4.8% META opened at $715.62 on Tuesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $616.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $613.27. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 1.31 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 7.91%.
About Meta Platforms (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
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Second Line Capital ve 2. čtvrtletí snížila podíl v Meta Platforms o 81,7 % a prodala 6 219 akcií. Po transakci držela 1 397 akcií. Akcie META zároveň klesly o 4,8 %.
Second Line Capital LLC lessened its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 81.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,397 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 6,219 shares during the quarter. Second Line Capital LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RHL Group LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Niles Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Meta Platforms Stock Down 4.8% Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $715.62 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $616.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $613.27. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current year. Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.
Meta Platforms News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta launched the Meta Enterprise Platform, offering businesses and developers access to its Muse AI agent, Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code. The company hired MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the initiative, signaling an effort to generate revenue from its multibillion-dollar AI investments beyond advertising. Meta launches enterprise AI platform Positive Sentiment: Muse’s integration across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp is supporting rapid user adoption; the AI-powered app reportedly reached the top spot in the U.S. App Store. Analysts also see potential revenue from subscriptions, transaction fees, enterprise tools and commercial API licensing. Meta Platforms boosts ad engagement with AI Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its price target on META to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating, citing the company’s AI opportunity and expanding ecosystem. AI improvements are also reportedly increasing ad engagement, clicks and conversions. Meta Platforms price target raised Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over Meta’s AI strategy. Bullish analysts expect new AI agents, smart glasses and enterprise software to create additional revenue streams, while others question whether the returns will justify the investment. Negative Sentiment: Capital expenditures rose sharply to $31.1 billion in the second quarter from $19.4 billion a year earlier. The scale of data-center and AI spending is raising concerns about returns on capital and near-term margins. Meta Platforms: Are You Going to Buy the Promise? Negative Sentiment: Reports that OpenAI is developing a competing AI assistant intensified competitive concerns. Separately, alleged Muse disclosures of private messages and a user’s address have triggered privacy and safety criticism, potentially creating regulatory and reputational risks. Elon Musk amplifies privacy concerns over Muse Negative Sentiment: Meta also faces legal and political overhang after a New Mexico jury found that Facebook misled residents about personal-data practices, while lawmakers are questioning AI and data-center tax subsidies. Recent gains have additionally left the valuation less compelling, increasing sensitivity to execution disappointments. Insider Buying and Selling In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total value of $643,535.42. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 9,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,646,237.90. This trade represents a 8.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 150,807 shares of company stock worth $102,155,232. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $770.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective (down from $700.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $787.86.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms Profile (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Six Flags Launches FlexPay—Is There Any FUN Left in the Stock? Brewing Trouble? Starbucks Spills the Beans on 250 Store Closures Stitch Fix Stock Plunges as Guidance Puts the Turnaround on Pause Harley-Davidson Insiders Are Buying: Is HOG Finally Turning Around? 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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West Family Investments Inc. increased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 20.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,654 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,132 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 1.1% of West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $3,748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $22,152,075,000. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 723.1% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $4,957,946,000 after buying an additional 7,732,446 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $2,948,486,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 4,537,076 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insider Activity In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $2,012,047.56. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. This trade represents a 26.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% 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 quarter, insiders sold 150,807 shares of company stock worth $102,155,232. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Meta Platforms Trading Down 4.8% Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $715.62 on Tuesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $616.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $613.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.82 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 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 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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%.
Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have weighed in on META shares. New Street Research decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and set a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $770.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $787.86.
Get Our Latest Report on META
Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta launched the Meta Enterprise Platform, offering businesses and developers access to its Muse AI agent, Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code. The company hired MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the initiative, signaling an effort to generate revenue from its multibillion-dollar AI investments beyond advertising. Meta launches enterprise AI platform Positive Sentiment: Muse’s integration across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp is supporting rapid user adoption; the AI-powered app reportedly reached the top spot in the U.S. App Store. Analysts also see potential revenue from subscriptions, transaction fees, enterprise tools and commercial API licensing. Meta Platforms boosts ad engagement with AI Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its price target on META to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating, citing the company’s AI opportunity and expanding ecosystem. AI improvements are also reportedly increasing ad engagement, clicks and conversions. Meta Platforms price target raised Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over Meta’s AI strategy. Bullish analysts expect new AI agents, smart glasses and enterprise software to create additional revenue streams, while others question whether the returns will justify the investment. Negative Sentiment: Capital expenditures rose sharply to $31.1 billion in the second quarter from $19.4 billion a year earlier. The scale of data-center and AI spending is raising concerns about returns on capital and near-term margins. Meta Platforms: Are You Going to Buy the Promise? Negative Sentiment: Reports that OpenAI is developing a competing AI assistant intensified competitive concerns. Separately, alleged Muse disclosures of private messages and a user’s address have triggered privacy and safety criticism, potentially creating regulatory and reputational risks. Elon Musk amplifies privacy concerns over Muse Negative Sentiment: Meta also faces legal and political overhang after a New Mexico jury found that Facebook misled residents about personal-data practices, while lawmakers are questioning AI and data-center tax subsidies. Recent gains have additionally left the valuation less compelling, increasing sensitivity to execution disappointments. Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Six Flags Launches FlexPay—Is There Any FUN Left in the Stock? Brewing Trouble? Starbucks Spills the Beans on 250 Store Closures Stitch Fix Stock Plunges as Guidance Puts the Turnaround on Pause Harley-Davidson Insiders Are Buying: Is HOG Finally Turning Around? 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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Wellington Grp LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 25.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,841 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 1,197 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up about 0.8% of Wellington Grp LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Wellington Grp LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $3,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RHL Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Key Meta Platforms News Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Meta launched the Meta Enterprise Platform, offering businesses and developers access to its Muse AI agent, Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code. The company hired MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the initiative, signaling an effort to generate revenue from its multibillion-dollar AI investments beyond advertising. Meta launches enterprise AI platform Positive Sentiment: Muse’s integration across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp is supporting rapid user adoption; the AI-powered app reportedly reached the top spot in the U.S. App Store. Analysts also see potential revenue from subscriptions, transaction fees, enterprise tools and commercial API licensing. Meta Platforms boosts ad engagement with AI Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its price target on META to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating, citing the company’s AI opportunity and expanding ecosystem. AI improvements are also reportedly increasing ad engagement, clicks and conversions. Meta Platforms price target raised Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over Meta’s AI strategy. Bullish analysts expect new AI agents, smart glasses and enterprise software to create additional revenue streams, while others question whether the returns will justify the investment. Negative Sentiment: Capital expenditures rose sharply to $31.1 billion in the second quarter from $19.4 billion a year earlier. The scale of data-center and AI spending is raising concerns about returns on capital and near-term margins. Meta Platforms: Are You Going to Buy the Promise? Negative Sentiment: Reports that OpenAI is developing a competing AI assistant intensified competitive concerns. Separately, alleged Muse disclosures of private messages and a user’s address have triggered privacy and safety criticism, potentially creating regulatory and reputational risks. Elon Musk amplifies privacy concerns over Muse Negative Sentiment: Meta also faces legal and political overhang after a New Mexico jury found that Facebook misled residents about personal-data practices, while lawmakers are questioning AI and data-center tax subsidies. Recent gains have additionally left the valuation less compelling, increasing sensitivity to execution disappointments. Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 150,807 shares of company stock valued at $102,155,232. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts have weighed in on META shares. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $700.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $787.86.
Get Our Latest Research Report on META
Meta Platforms Stock Down 4.8% META stock opened at $715.62 on Tuesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $779.82. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $616.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $613.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last released its 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 analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.14 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 is 7.91%.
Meta Platforms Profile (Free Report)
Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.
Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.
Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Six Flags Launches FlexPay—Is There Any FUN Left in the Stock? Brewing Trouble? Starbucks Spills the Beans on 250 Store Closures Stitch Fix Stock Plunges as Guidance Puts the Turnaround on Pause Harley-Davidson Insiders Are Buying: Is HOG Finally Turning Around? 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 spustila Muse for Small Business, která propojuje AI agenta s nástroji jako Asana, Zoom, Intuit, Box, Canva a Slack. Firma tím rozšiřuje Muse ze spotřebitelské AI do podnikové sféry.
Coming off the successful launch of its Muse AI agent, Meta is now pushing its new artificial intelligence service into the business world.
Meta on Tuesday unveiled Muse for Small Business that connects its agent to popular software from companies like Asana, Zoom, Intuit, Box, Canva and Salesforce's Slack. The agent can also link to Meta ad accounts and professional Instagram and Facebook profiles.
The company didn't offer details on pricing, but referred at the bottom of its blog post to the existing Muse app, which is free with usage limits and available on a subscription basis beyond that.
The news follows the company's Monday announcement that it will launch a new enterprise platform, poaching MongoDB CEO CJ Desai to run it. That platform will include a Muse agent, business agent and a coding tool.
Meta has enjoyed a banner month on Wall Street, with the stock up 25% in September, though it sold off some the past two trading days. The momentum followed the Sept. 8 rollout of Muse, which shot up to the top of Apple's App Store, surpassing ChatGPT. Evercore's Mark Mahaney told CNBC he expects Muse to reach 100 million users within six to 12 months.
Meta's stock price
"Give Muse a goal — like running your business or finding new customers — and it gets it done," the company said in Tuesday's post.
Long reliant on digital ads for almost all of his company's revenue, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has committed to finding business opportunities with AI, especially after paying billions of dollars last year for top AI talent, most notably Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang, who's leading the company's efforts. Wang's group started launching new AI models under the Muse Spark family in April.
At Meta Connect last week, Zuckerberg described Muse as the "centerpiece" of his AI strategy.
Meta's latest announcement comes at the same time that OpenAI is holding its developer day. It's the latest sign that the company intends to take on OpenAI and rival Anthropic in the enterprise.
The social media giant already has a strong foothold when it comes to small businesses, as 200 million of them can be found on Facebook, the company says.
"Small businesses have been growing on our apps for nearly two decades," Meta said in the blog post. "They told us they're short on hours, not ideas. So we built Muse for Small Business to help get work done with the tools they already use."
SummaryMeta Platforms, Inc. earns a Buy rating, now with a more compelling outlook post-Meta Connect, driven by transformative AI and hardware initiatives.META's new AI agent Muse, integrated with stylish VR glasses and the Charm device, opens multiple potential revenue streams beyond core advertising.Monetization strategies for Muse include transaction fees and possible subscriptions, while richer behavioral data could further enhance Meta's dominant ad platform.Despite significant risks and the need for flawless execution, Meta is positioned as a frontrunner in the AI hardware shift, with strong growth prospects and reasonable valuation. Kenneth Cheung/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
Intro A couple of weeks ago, I published an article comparing Reddit (RDDT) and Meta Platforms, Inc. (META). While I rated both as Buys, I found Reddit to be the
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Meta Platforms META v pondělí klesla o 4,7 % na 715,62 USD, protože investoři zvažovali dopad nového AI asistenta OpenAI. Zároveň firma spustila Meta Enterprise Platform pro podnikové AI služby.
Meta Platforms META stock fell 4.7% to $715.62 on Monday as investors weighed the potential competitive impact of a new artificial intelligence assistant reportedly being developed by OpenAI.
The decline came after a Sept. 27 report from BleepingComputer said OpenAI is preparing an always-on AI assistant, reportedly called “o,” that could operate as a cloud-based agent capable of handling long-horizon tasks, including email, even after users close the ChatGPT app.
OpenAI is expected to unveil the product at its DevDay 2026 keynote on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
The development comes after Meta shares gained roughly 30% in September, driven largely by the early performance of the company’s Muse AI agent.
Meta’s Muse has emerged as a key part of the company’s AI strategy since its launch on Sept. 8.
The app has accumulated more than 3.4 million downloads and reached the top position on the US App Store, surpassing ChatGPT.
The strong early adoption helped push Meta stock toward its 52-week high of $779.82 and prompted analysts to raise their price targets.
Wells Fargo recently increased its price target for Meta to $796 from $640, citing the strength of the Muse launch.
Citi analyst Ronald Josey said Muse is “emerging as the centerpiece of Meta’s AI product strategy,” with integrations spanning shopping, travel and productivity.
The reported OpenAI product could therefore introduce additional competition in an area that has recently supported Meta’s stock performance.
The potential launch also comes as Meta seeks to expand its AI offerings beyond its consumer-focused products.
Meta announced the launch of Meta Enterprise Platform on Monday, creating a new business focused on helping companies deploy the company’s AI technology.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the platform as the company’s “next major pillar.”
The initiative will combine Meta’s AI models, agents and computing infrastructure with its existing relationships with businesses.
The platform will initially provide businesses and developers with access to Meta’s broader AI technology stack. This includes the Muse agent, Meta Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code.
Meta said the tools are designed to help companies use AI to grow their businesses and improve operations.
The move expands the company’s AI ambitions into enterprise technology alongside its existing consumer products, advertising and social media businesses.
Zuckerberg said Meta already serves billions of consumers and helps hundreds of millions of businesses reach customers.
Meta has appointed Chirantan “CJ” Desai as chief enterprise platform officer. Desai will report directly to Zuckerberg.
Desai joins Meta from MongoDB, where he was president and CEO.
He previously led product and engineering at Cloudflare and spent nearly eight years at ServiceNow, including as president and chief operating officer.
Zuckerberg pointed to Desai’s experience across AI, infrastructure, business software and cybersecurity.
Desai said Meta Enterprise Platform would focus on turning Meta’s AI technology stack into products and services that businesses can deploy directly.
He added that security and privacy would be built into the platform from the beginning, following Meta’s approach with its Muse technology.
Meta said its longer-term goal is to become a platform that businesses can use to scale operations as AI changes areas including customer service and innovation.
The enterprise push gives investors another part of Meta’s AI strategy to assess as competition from OpenAI and other AI companies develops.
Meta ve 2. čtvrtletí zvýšila tržby z reklamy o 27 % na 59,4 miliardy USD díky AI. Na Facebooku AI zvedla počet kliknutí na reklamy o 8,3 % a konverze o 15,7 %.
Key Takeaways Meta's Family of Apps ad revenues rose 27% year over year to $59.4 billion in the second quarter. META's advanced AI models boosted Facebook ad clicks 8.3% and conversions 15.7% in the second quarter. Meta's Advantage AI advertising solutions surpassed a $75 billion annual revenue run rate in the quarter. Meta Platforms (META - Free Report) is benefiting from its strategic investments in artificial intelligence, which are driving significant improvements in ad engagement and business performance. The company’s focus on integrating AI into its platforms — Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads — is driving user as well as advertising engagement. In the second quarter of 2026, Family of Apps ad revenues increased 27% year over year to $59.4 billion. Ad impressions rose 14%, while the average price per ad increased 12%, partly reflecting improved ad performance.
AI-powered recommendation and ranking systems are strengthening engagement across META’s platforms. Instagram time spent grew double digits year over year, while Facebook video time spent increased 9% globally. Meta Platforms is using large language models to better understand content and user preferences, enabling more personalized recommendations across Feed and Reels.
In the second quarter of 2026, the deployment of Meta Generative Recommender and other advanced models led to an 8.3% increase in ad clicks and a 15.7% uplift in conversions on Facebook. More than 9 million small businesses now use at least one of Meta’s AI-powered ad creative tools. Its Advantage+ AI-powered advertising solutions also surpassed a $75 billion annual revenue run rate in the quarter, highlighting growing advertiser adoption.
Meta Platforms expects continued gains from AI-powered recommendations and advertising optimization. With strong user engagement, expanding AI capabilities, and a massive advertiser base, Meta Platforms appears well positioned to maintain its advertising momentum. For the third quarter of 2026, the company expects revenues between $61 billion and $64 billion.
How Competitors Fare Against METADespite Meta Platforms’ expanding portfolio, the company faces stiff competition from Reddit (RDDT - Free Report) and Snap (SNAP - Free Report) . Both companies are expanding their footprint in the AI space.
Reddit Max is emerging as a key AI-driven growth catalyst. The launch and rapid adoption of Reddit Max, an AI-driven suite for ad automation and optimization, has delivered significant results. Advertiser usage of Max grew by more than 60% in the second quarter of 2026 from the first quarter of 2026, and revenues from Max campaigns increased by more than 150%. Features like tailored creatives and dynamic product ads are helping brands achieve better outcomes, such as Lenovo’s 40% higher purchase value with Max campaigns compared to standard campaigns.
Snap’s flagship product, Snapchat, reached 971 million monthly active users and 493 million daily active users in the second quarter of 2026, driven by continued adoption of Augmented Reality Lenses, Spotlight and AI-powered features. Key growth drivers include its AI-powered Smart Campaign Solutions, AI Sponsored Snaps, Sponsored Snaps and Dynamic Product Ads.
META’s Share Price Performance, Valuation, and EstimatesMETA’s shares have rallied 13.8% in the year-to-date period, underperforming the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s return of 22.5%.
META Stock Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
META shares are overvalued, with a forward 12-month Price/Sales of 8.36X compared with the Internet Software industry’s 5.52X. META has a Value Score of C.
META Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is pegged at $31.38 per share, which has decreased 1.07% over the past 30 days. This suggests 33.59% year-over-year growth.
Meta Platforms currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Meta's AI app just dethroned ChatGPT without outperforming it on a single benchmark, and the reason behind that upset has Wall Street rethinking what actually gives a tech giant an edge in the AI race.
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Meta (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) took the No. 1 free spot on the US App Store with its Muse-powered AI app. It moved ahead of ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok even though Muse trails the frontier models on performance. One number explains the upset: Family Daily Active People (DAP). DAP counts the unique users who open Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp each day. It reached 3.60 billion in Q2 2026, up 3% YoY.
Why Distribution Wins Over Benchmarks Revenue and earnings show what Meta already makes money from. DAP shows how quickly Meta can put a new product in front of people. AI-native rivals have to win each install through marketing and word of mouth. Meta can promote its assistant inside apps that billions of people already open every day, so any new AI product it releases starts with a built-in audience.
The launch data shows that head start. According to Sensor Tower, the app logged 730K downloads in its first 5 days. Apptopia counted 1.8M iOS downloads across the US and Canada in 12 days, vs 1.3M for ChatGPT over the same stretch. It also counted 642K daily active US users, nearly 3x ChatGPT’s 231K at the same point post launch.
Management’s own figures point the same way. Since rebuilding Meta AI and integrating Muse Spark, Meta has seen “a 60% increase in the number of people interacting with the assistant each day”. WhatsApp is “already the leading surface where people engage with Meta AI.” A 24/7 Wall St. podcast host summed up the edge: “They have the distribution of everyone signed up so they can plug AI into their products.”
DAP Is Near Its Peak, but Growth Is Slowing DAP keeps rising in total, but its growth rate has cooled off for four straight quarters:
Quarter DAP YoY Growth Q3 2025 3.54 billion +8% Q4 2025 3.58 billion +7% Q1 2026 3.56 billion +4% Q2 2026 3.60 billion +3% More of the growth now comes from engagement per user. In Q2, ad impressions rose 14% and average price per ad climbed 12%. Instagram time spent grew double digits, and Facebook video time rose 9% globally. Serving AI to that audience is expensive. Meta raised its 2026 capex outlook to $130-145B, and Q2 free cash flow fell to $784M from $8.55B a year earlier.
What to Watch Before Meta’s Next Report Bullish: DAP growth holds steady while Meta AI daily users keep climbing, which would show the funnel still has room. Other good signs would be more adoption of Business Agents, already used by more than 1 million businesses, and more growth in Family of Apps other revenue. That line reached $1 billion for the first time, up 73%. Bearish: DAP growth drops off below its current pace, which would suggest Meta’s audience is close to its ceiling. Another warning sign would be Muse app use fading once launch promotion ends. Recent coverage has also focused on AI overspending fears. Expectations are rising. Shares trade at $734.49 in premarket trading, up 27.57% over the past month. Management has guided Q3 revenue to $61-64B.
Verdict: Reach Is Meta’s Real AI Moat Muse reached No. 1 because 3.6 billion people open a Meta app every day, and that reach will shape Meta’s AI results more than any model benchmark.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Wedmont Private Capital ve 2. čtvrtletí snížila svůj podíl v Meta Platforms o 4,6 % a prodala 2 210 akcií. Po prodeji držela 45 383 akcií v hodnotě 25,564 milionu USD.
Wedmont Private Capital cut its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 4.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,383 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 2,210 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 0.7% of Wedmont Private Capital’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $25,564,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its stake in shares of 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 period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at about $22,152,075,000. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 723.1% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $4,957,946,000 after buying an additional 7,732,446 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,948,486,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 4,537,076 shares during the period. 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 momentum remains the main bullish catalyst. Early reviews, rising user traction and Meta’s new early-access program for upcoming Muse features are reinforcing expectations that the AI assistant could become a major consumer product and future revenue stream. Meta opens early access program for new Muse features Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising price targets. Deutsche Bank, TD Cowen, Canaccord Genuity and other firms lifted targets and maintained bullish ratings, citing Muse’s potential to expand Meta beyond advertising through subscriptions, commerce and AI services. Meta price targets raised as Muse gains momentum Positive Sentiment: AI hardware could broaden Muse’s distribution. Meta is integrating Muse into Ray-Ban AI glasses and introducing additional wearable and VR products, creating potential new hardware, services and commerce opportunities. Neutral Sentiment: Friday’s decline appears largely technical. After rising roughly 36% during September and approaching a $2 trillion market value, Meta faced profit-taking and a pullback from recent highs. Bullish options activity suggests some traders continue to view the weakness as a buying opportunity. Neutral Sentiment: Large capital spending remains a key debate. Investors are encouraged by Meta’s AI strategy but remain uncertain whether heavy spending on infrastructure and Reality Labs will generate sufficient returns. Negative Sentiment: New Mexico litigation adds regulatory risk. A jury found that Meta misled state residents in a case related to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, potentially increasing legal costs and scrutiny. Meta misled consumers in New Mexico jury case Negative Sentiment: A Muse security vulnerability was identified. Meta is adding clearer safety warnings after a vulnerability reportedly could expose sensitive user information, raising concerns about trust and adoption of its AI agent. Meta bolsters Muse safety warning after vulnerability Negative Sentiment: Competition and monetization obstacles remain. Amazon blocked Muse from accessing its platform, while privacy concerns around camera-equipped glasses and skepticism toward new AI hardware could limit Meta’s growth plans. Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a cautionary signal. Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares and COO Javier Olivan sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The transactions do not necessarily indicate reduced confidence, but they add to concerns after the stock’s rapid advance. Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction 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 trade represents a 26.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 123,333 shares of company stock worth $80,795,845. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $810.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Arete Research upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. CICC Research cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $785.90.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on META
Meta Platforms Stock Performance META stock opened at $751.66 on Monday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $1.91 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.31, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $615.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $612.83.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS 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 $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 7.91%.
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.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Data Centers Got the AI Hype—But Office REITs May Get the Rent Hikes 2 Cybersecurity Stocks Breaking Out as AI Continues to Be a Tailwind 3 More AI Infrastructure Plays Beyond the Big Names CAVA Stock Slips: Sector Fear or Valuation Reality? 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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Varenne Capital Partners bought a new stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,080 shares of the social networking company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,000. Meta Platforms comprises about 0.0% of Varenne Capital Partners’ portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Henrickson Nauta Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Meta Platforms by 35.8% during the second quarter. Henrickson Nauta Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,163,000 after acquiring an additional 544 shares during the period. Kintra Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Kintra Wealth LLC now owns 6,503 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,869,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Morling Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Morling Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. now owns 3,985 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,245,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC now owns 879 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research firms recently commented on META. Roth Capital cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Moffett Nathanson decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citic Securities decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $700.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $785.90.
View Our Latest Research Report on Meta Platforms Insider Activity In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% 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. Insiders sold a total of 123,333 shares of company stock valued at $80,795,845 over the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Muse momentum remains the main bullish catalyst. Early reviews, rising user traction and Meta’s new early-access program for upcoming Muse features are reinforcing expectations that the AI assistant could become a major consumer product and future revenue stream. Meta opens early access program for new Muse features Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising price targets. Deutsche Bank, TD Cowen, Canaccord Genuity and other firms lifted targets and maintained bullish ratings, citing Muse’s potential to expand Meta beyond advertising through subscriptions, commerce and AI services. Meta price targets raised as Muse gains momentum Positive Sentiment: AI hardware could broaden Muse’s distribution. Meta is integrating Muse into Ray-Ban AI glasses and introducing additional wearable and VR products, creating potential new hardware, services and commerce opportunities. Neutral Sentiment: Friday’s decline appears largely technical. After rising roughly 36% during September and approaching a $2 trillion market value, Meta faced profit-taking and a pullback from recent highs. Bullish options activity suggests some traders continue to view the weakness as a buying opportunity. Neutral Sentiment: Large capital spending remains a key debate. Investors are encouraged by Meta’s AI strategy but remain uncertain whether heavy spending on infrastructure and Reality Labs will generate sufficient returns. Negative Sentiment: New Mexico litigation adds regulatory risk. A jury found that Meta misled state residents in a case related to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, potentially increasing legal costs and scrutiny. Meta misled consumers in New Mexico jury case Negative Sentiment: A Muse security vulnerability was identified. Meta is adding clearer safety warnings after a vulnerability reportedly could expose sensitive user information, raising concerns about trust and adoption of its AI agent. Meta bolsters Muse safety warning after vulnerability Negative Sentiment: Competition and monetization obstacles remain. Amazon blocked Muse from accessing its platform, while privacy concerns around camera-equipped glasses and skepticism toward new AI hardware could limit Meta’s growth plans. Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a cautionary signal. Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares and COO Javier Olivan sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The transactions do not necessarily indicate reduced confidence, but they add to concerns after the stock’s rapid advance. Meta Platforms Price Performance META stock opened at $751.66 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’s 50 day moving average is $615.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $612.83. The company has a market capitalization of $1.91 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company’s revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.91%.
Meta Platforms 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.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Data Centers Got the AI Hype—But Office REITs May Get the Rent Hikes 2 Cybersecurity Stocks Breaking Out as AI Continues to Be a Tailwind 3 More AI Infrastructure Plays Beyond the Big Names CAVA Stock Slips: Sector Fear or Valuation Reality? 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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