Meta reports Q3 earnings on October 21 with its stock sitting 9% below its 52-week high, and three specific numbers will determine whether Wall Street's most aggressive price targets hold or collapse under the weight of surging capex and mounting…
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) reports Q3 2026 results on October 21 after the close, with the stock trading at $709.33. The 24/7 Wall St. price target stands at $913.41, implying 28.77% upside over 12 months. Meta earns a buy rating with high confidence.
Metric
Value
Current Price
$709.33
Price Target from 24/7 Wall St.
$913.41
Upside
28.77%
Recommendation
BUY
Confidence Level
90%
To justify the Street’s most aggressive views, Meta needs three things in this quarter: revenue at or above the top of its $61B to $64B guide, ad pricing that holds near Q2’s +12% gain, and no higher drift in the $130B to $145B capex range.
Q2 Revenue Beat Masked by an EPS Miss and Vanishing Free Cash Flow
Shares fell 3.72% in the latest session and 1.3% on the week, yet remain up 5.42% over a month and 7.72% year to date. The stock trades 9% below its 52-week high of $779.82 while sitting 36.6% above its low of $519.37.
In Q2, revenue rose 27.96% to $60.80B, beating estimates, but EPS of $6.18 missed the $7.2173 consensus, ending a six-quarter beat run. A $2.40B legal charge and $1.18B in severance weighed, while free cash flow shrank to $784 million.
What Q3 Must Prove for a $1,046 Bull Case
The bull-case target reaches $1,046.27. The ad engine supports it: impressions grew 14%, Advantage+ hit a $75 billion run rate, and Family of Apps other revenue climbed 73% on WhatsApp messaging.
Consensus Q3 EPS is $5.9382 with revenue near $63.35B, so an earnings report near the high estimate of $7.64 would reset the narrative. Analyst support runs deep, with 8 Strong Buy ratings alongside 47 Buy ratings against one Sell.
Capex and Courtroom Risks That Could Cap the Stock
Management gave no 2027 capex outlook and noted youth-related trials that may trigger material losses, alongside EU Less Personalized Ads enforcement.
Full-year EPS estimates fell from $33.0006 to $30.8051 over 90 days. Our bear case lands at $779.62. Bulls would counter that excluding legal and severance costs, Q2 operating income rose 9%.
Meta Trades in Line With Alphabet and Amazon on Forward Earnings
Meta’s closest digital ad rival is Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL). The stock changes hands at 23x forward earnings with 24.2% quarterly revenue growth, a near match to Meta’s 23x.
Meanwhile, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares the AI capex burden at 24x forward, yet its 13.7% operating margin trails Meta’s 41.4%.
The capex question is the real one here, and it extends well beyond Meta. We highlighted seven companies supplying the power, cooling, and networking behind the AI expansion in a report you can grab here: 7 Stocks Powering the AI Boom (That Aren’t Chipmakers).
Company
Forward P/E
Operating Margin
Meta
23x
41.4%
Alphabet
23x
34%
Amazon
24x
13.7%
Our target implies roughly 29x forward EPS, a premium to both peers. Given Meta’s superior margins, I view that as bold but reasonable.
Ad Pricing Power Decides Meta’s Next Move After This Report
The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $913.41 carries a buy rating and 90% confidence. The deciding factor is ad pricing power funding the AI expansion.
This outlook strengthens if Q3 revenue tops $64B with steady capex. The case weakens if legal losses mount or 2027 spending signals surge. On balance, the ad engine earns the benefit of the doubt.
Meta Price Prediction 2026-2030
This is where the 24/7 Wall St. price target model projects Meta could trade, assuming current trends hold.
Year
Price Target from 24/7 Wall St.
2026
$741.88
2027
$913.41
2028
$1,029.23
2029
$1,159.74
2030
$1,306.80
These projections assume Meta keeps executing on AI-driven ad growth. Major upside could come from enterprise agent monetization, while youth litigation or runaway capex creates the biggest downside.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Meta Platforms is bouncing back as the company expands its portfolio of AI products. These could help the company tap into a significant AI opportunity and complement its strong advertising business.
Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is drawing bullish analyst views ahead of its third-quarter earnings report Wednesday, as Wall Street sees growing opportunities in artificial intelligence, advertising and the company's new Muse AI agent.
Meta’s AI companion, Muse, is now one of only a dozen mobile apps to have reached 10 million U.S. downloads in its first 40 days on the market. According to new data from market intelligence provider Sensor Tower, Muse has seen 10.9 million downloads since its September debut, 10.2 million of which were in the United States.
Only 11 other apps to date have reached this type of post-launch milestone, said Sensor Tower’s Senior Insights Analyst Kara Lee. The most recent of these was Meta’s Threads, back in July 2023.
Other apps that saw this kind of scale were largely mobile games, Lee noted, like Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, Pokémon GO, and others. Besides Threads, Disney+ was the only other non-game app to make it into the exclusive club.
Meta’s success is tied to the company’s ability to scale its new apps by marketing them across its other services, which it has done with both Threads and Muse. Threads was built on top of Instagram’s social graph, and its content has been integrated into both Facebook and Instagram. However, Muse isn’t only benefiting from Meta’s ability to market the AI agent across its family of apps, which today includes 3.6 billion daily active users; the company is also heavily investing in advertising to drive new users to Muse.
Per Sensor Tower’s data, Meta has allocated 39% of its total advertising spend to market Muse in October, up from 23% last month. In addition, Muse now ranks as the 21st largest brand in the U.S. by advertising impressions this month, up from 73rd in September.
Still, marketing an app and retaining users after the initial shine wears off are two different things. In this case, Muse is seeing better retention rates than its AI competitors like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok.
In the U.S., the app had a 30% retention rate after 7 days and a 23% retention rate after 14 days. By comparison, its rivals saw an average of a 19% 7-day retention rate and a 16% 14-day retention rate, according to the firm’s data.
Muse also hit another milestone that demonstrates active engagement with the AI app. Its daily active users reached 2.5 million for the first time on October 16, a 15% week-over-week increase.
Meta’s latest AI app, which can handle various tasks on users’ behalf, has seen breakout success since its debut. It shot up to No. 1 on the App Store, and, at one point, even outpaced some of the metrics ChatGPT saw following its launch. Its latest milestone sees it topping its rivals again, as ChatGPT saw 3.7 million U.S. downloads in its first 40 days on the market. Grok and Claude saw only 500,000 and 200,000 U.S. downloads, respectively, in their first 40 days.
Globally, ChatGPT beat out Muse, having scaled to around 15 million global downloads in its first 40 days. But this isn’t a fair comparison, as ChatGPT benefited from a wider reach. Muse is only available in the U.S. and Canada for now, while ChatGPT’s app attracted attention from markets like Japan, Brazil, and Germany, too. (Japan, for instance, accounted for 25% of its global installs during its first 40 days.)
Since launching, Muse has retained its No. 1 rank on the U.S. App Store for all days except October 19, when streaming app Kick briefly beat it out. It has since reclaimed the top spot as of Tuesday. Muse has also been No. 1 on Google Play over the past 30 days.
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$520.26▼
$779.820.30%
25.99
$811.24
Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META has recently shifted from being one of the most unloved stocks in the artificial intelligence trade to a name with strong positive sentiment behind it. In about two months, META has gone from being down more than 17% in 2026 to up several percentage points on the year.
The release of Meta’s Muse AI agent has been critical to changing the narrative around the stock, representing a new potential AI growth driver. Meanwhile, its Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full models are Meta’s most intelligent models yet, and have given the company a seat at the table when it comes to being a frontier model developer.
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Amid these developments that have caused investors to flock to META stock, markets are eagerly awaiting the company’s Q3 2026 earnings report on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Surely, investors will want to see the company post strong financial results, but commentary around Meta’s latest AI initiatives could also be critical to how markets react to its earnings.
Meta’s Growth, Earnings, and Capital Expenditure OutlookIn Q3 2026, analysts currently expect Meta to post revenue of $63.34 billion. This figure sits near the high end of Meta’s guidance range of $61 billion to $64 billion, and would represent a growth rate of approximately 23.6% year over over (YOY).
Analysts expect Meta to post adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $6.53, which would represent a decline of 9.9% YOY compared with the prior year's EPS excluding a one-time tax charge, but would also be a 5.7% increase compared to its Q2 EPS of $6.18. The company’s lower-than-expected Q2 EPS was a result of Meta taking several billion dollars in charges related to legal and severance fees.
In Q3, Meta expects to take a $10 billion charge for legal fees stemming from its up to $18 billion settlement with state attorneys general over youth social media concerns. Given that Meta has outlined this in advance, buy-side analysts may have already baked the figure into their forecasts, making it less likely that these charges will prompt a negative market reaction. However, it is still possible that Meta will post a significant EPS miss with respect to sell-side forecasts. Notably, Bank of America expects the firm to post EPS of $3.79 after accounting for these charges.
Meta’s guidance for Q4 will be another key factor to watch. Consensus sales estimates for Q4 are $73.6 billion, which would be an increase of approximately 23% YOY. Meta does not provide specific EPS guidance each quarter.
Investors will also likely want to see Meta keep a lid on its capital expenditure (CapEx) guidance for 2026, which currently sits between $130 billion and $145 billion. Markets could see a significant increase in this figure as a negative. However, it's also possible that investors will give Meta more leeway this quarter, given excitement around its latest products and models.
Muse Should Be in Focus, But Metrics May Take Time to MaterializeAside from these headline figures, investors will likely want to see Meta provide encouraging commentary around its latest products like Muse. Given that Meta did not release Muse until Sept. 8, the product is unlikely to have a significant impact on the company’s Q3 financials, which show its results through the end of September. Still, the company could choose to provide metrics that demonstrate Muse’s adoption or provide further details around its strategy.
Meta Platforms MarketRank™ Stock Analysis4.719526784525 of 5 stars
94th Percentile
Moderate Buy
17.0% Upside
Healthy
Weak
0.85 Selling Shares
20.69%
See Full Analysis
One potential metric is Muse token consumption, which is a proxy for end-user AI demand and usage. Meta has also noted that it plans to profit from Muse by collecting fees over time as the agent executes transactions for users. In turn, Meta providing data around Muse transaction volume would also aid investors.
However, investors should be aware of Meta’s tendency to provide limited information on products that are in their early stages of adoption. Considering this, the company’s Q3 commentary may not include substantive insights related to Muse. The same goes for metrics around the Meta Enterprise Platform, although information on its Meta One subscription plans could be more significant, as the company first announced these plans earlier this year and expanded their rollout in September.
Muse’s Release Shows Why Patience Is Key, But Questions RemainGenerally speaking, Meta is a difficult company to pin down when it comes to how investors will react to its earnings releases. Higher-than-expected CapEx guidance has thrown a wrench into its reports in the past, leading to substantial downside moves. Following Meta’s Q2 earnings report, sentiment was very weak. A sales guidance miss, legal and severance charges, and a CapEx guidance increase combined to leave the stock at one of its lowest levels since the beginning of 2025.
However, sentiment has turned on a dime over the past two months, showing the value of maintaining patience around this name. Going forward, the key questions are whether non-advertising initiatives like Muse positively impact Meta’s growth, over what timeline, and what underlying metrics Meta provides to prove this to investors.
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Meta Platforms' (META.O) chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan will leave the company next year after 15 years there, a spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday.
President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick will add external affairs to her portfolio, the spokesperson said.
The move comes ahead of the November 3 midterm elections
McCormick was part of the Donald Trump administration during his first stint as US president
Kaplan was elevated to Meta's top policy role in January last year, as the social media giant rolled back US fact-checking, ended diversity initiatives and sought closer ties with Trump
A longtime Republican strategist, Kaplan served as deputy chief of staff for policy in the administration of George W. Bush
Meta is among the tech companies facing questions over AI's impacts, as concerns mount over safety and the industry’s growing footprint among local communities
Trump recently said tech executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, had agreed to establish voluntary AI standards
Meta Platforms shares extended their losing streak to five sessions on Tuesday, falling around 2% as investors grew cautious ahead of the company's third-quarter earnings report, with rising artificial intelligence spending remaining a key concern. The stock has declined more than 12% from its recent peak of $779.82, reached late last month.
Meta's policy chief Joel Kaplan is leaving after 15 years
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Joel Kaplan, Meta's chief global affairs officer.
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A longtime political operative at Meta who played a key role in bridging ties between the company and President Donald Trump's administration is leaving.
Joel Kaplan, Meta's chief global affairs officer, will leave after the midterm elections and a transition period, Axios first reported. Meta confirmed the report to Business Insider.
A veteran Marine Corps artillery officer, Kaplan is a Republican who served as an advisor and deputy chief of staff to former president George W. Bush.
Kaplan joined Meta in 2011. At Meta, he oversaw the company's response to policy issues ranging from the Cambridge Analytica scandal to the end of its fact-checking program.
Kaplan helped repair a once-fraught relationship between Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Trump after Meta temporarily suspended Trump's account following the January 6 riot.
Kaplan posted on X on Tuesday that he plans to spend time with his family and figure out what to do next.
Kaplan didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Kaplan has served as Meta's chief global affairs officer since 2025, succeeding former UK politician Nick Clegg. Other Meta executives will share his responsibilities, Axios reported.
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Charles Rollet is Business Insider's tech correspondent in San Francisco, where he focuses on breaking major news about the AI industry. In 2025, he led an investigation which revealed that Scale AI had inadvertently exposed confidential data about its workers and clients. In 2026, he was the first to break the news that Meta had halted a controversial keystroke tracking program.Prior to joining BI, Charles worked at TechCrunch covering startups and VC in San Francisco. Before that, he was based in Southeast Asia for a decade, where his work won a Gerald Loeb award and was nominated for a Society of Publishers in Asia award. His reporting on the surveillance industry led to US human rights sanctions on five Chinese security camera manufacturers.Charles is especially interested in how frontier AI models are built and trained. He has a master's degree in business reporting from NYU and a bachelor's degree in history from Northwestern.You can contact Charles securely on Signal at charlesrollet.12 or +1-628-282-2811. Charles keeps sources anonymous. Please use a non-work device to reach out.
Key Takeaways META's Q3 ad growth is expected to benefit from rising engagement and ad impressions. AI-powered recommendations and ad tools are boosting Instagram engagement and conversions. Threads' 500 million users and growing WhatsApp AI adoption may support ad revenues. Meta Platforms’ (META - Free Report) third-quarter 2026 results, set to be reported on Oct. 21, are expected to reflect higher advertising revenues, driven by sustained growth in user engagement and ad impressions across its Family of Apps. In the second quarter of 2026, Meta Platforms reported $59.4 billion in ad revenues, up 27% year over year, with a 14% increase in ad impressions and a 12% rise in average price per ad.
The company’s growing adoption of AI-powered advertising tools is also expected to support advertising revenue growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Meta Platforms' third-quarter advertising revenues is pegged at $61.808 billion, indicating growth of 23.41% year over year.
Click here to learn how Meta Platforms’ overall third-quarter performance is likely to be.
META’s AI Push to Aid Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp in Q3Meta Platforms' third-quarter performance is expected to have benefited from aggressive artificial intelligence (AI) investments, which are improving user engagement, content recommendations and advertising efficiency across Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp. The company’s AI-powered recommendation systems and advertising tools are likely to have driven monetization and supported Family of Apps revenue growth in the quarter to be reported.
Instagram is benefiting from AI-driven improvements in Feed and Reels recommendations. In the second quarter of 2026, global time spent on Instagram increased at a double-digit rate year over year, primarily driven by improved recommendations. Meta Platforms' integration of large language models (LLMs) into content-ranking systems is enhancing personalization and content discovery. Early LLM-based advertising initiatives delivered a 1% increase in app event conversions on Instagram, highlighting improving monetization efficiency. The company’s latest Reels ranking improvements drove a 15-basis-point increase in Instagram sessions, supporting engagement growth.
Threads is emerging as an important growth driver for META. The platform surpassed 500 million monthly active users in the second quarter of 2026. Meta Platforms completed the global expansion of advertisements on Threads during the quarter, which is expected to have supported advertising revenue growth in the third quarter.
WhatsApp is also benefiting from Meta Platforms' AI expansion. The company made its AI-powered business agents globally available on WhatsApp and Messenger, with more than 1 million businesses using them weekly to interact with customers or complete sales. WhatsApp’s paid messaging business also remains a key growth driver.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Meta Platforms' third-quarter Family of Apps revenues is pegged at $62.866 billion, indicating growth of 23.82% year over year.
Zacks Rank & Upcoming Earnings to WatchMeta Platforms currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Alkami Technology (ALKT - Free Report) , ASE Technology (ASX - Free Report) , and Entegris (ENTG - Free Report) are some better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector. While ASE Technology sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Alkami Technology and Entegris carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Alkami Technology, ASE Technology and Entegris are expected to report their quarterly results on Oct. 28, Oct. 29 and Oct. 29, respectively. While shares of ASE Technology and Entegris have surged 153.5% and 71.6%, Alkami Technology shares have plunged 39.2% in the year-to-date period.
Australská vláda se chystá podniknout právní kroky proti největším sociálním sítím včetně Facebooku, Instagramu, TikToku, Snapchatu a YouTube. Úřady tvrdí, že platformy nedokázaly zabránit přístupu uživatelům mladším 16 let navzdory zákonu, který vstoupil v platnost loni a je považován za jedno z nejpřísnějších opatření svého druhu na světě. Spor může představovat významný precedent pro další země hledající způsoby regulace sociálních sítí a ochrany nezletilých v online prostředí.
Australské úřady se chystají podat žalobu na velké digitální platformy, které podle nich nedodržují celostátní zákaz používání sociálních médií pro osoby mladší 16 let. Podle agentury Bloomberg to uvedla ministryně pro komunikaci Anika Wellsová.
Australský úřad pro bezpečnost na internetu (eSafety) v březnu oznámil, že vyšetřuje platformy Facebook a Instagram provozované americkou společností Meta Platforms, dále Snapchat, TikTok vlastněný čínským ByteDancem a YouTube provozovaný firmou Google z americké skupiny Alphabet kvůli možnému nedodržování zákona.
Na otázku, zda lze očekávat právní kroky proti těmto pěti platformám, Wellsová odpověděla: "Ano."
"Není to moje rozhodnutí, ale očekávala bych to," cituje ministryni Bloomberg.
První zákaz tohoto druhu na světě vešel v platnost loni v prosinci. Od té doby vláda zdvojnásobila maximální pokutu za porušení předpisů na 109,2 milionu australských dolarů (1,65 miliardy Kč). Vláda rovněž udělila šéfce eSafety Julie Inman Grantové širší vyšetřovací pravomoci, včetně možnosti vyžadovat od sociálních sítí dokumenty a předvolat si současné či bývalé zaměstnance k podání vysvětlení.
Zákon ukládá společnostem povinnost přijmout přiměřená opatření, aby zabránily uživatelům mladším 16 let v držení účtů na sociálních médiích. Zákaz je odůvodňován snahami chránit mladistvé před škodlivým on-line obsahem. Zpráva eSafety z července zjistila, že většina nezletilých uživatelů sociálních médií si mohla své účty ponechat, případně si vytvořit nové, a to především kvůli nedostatečné kontrole věku na těchto platformách.
St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) during the undefined quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,354 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately
Snider Financial Group cut its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) by 11.1% in the undefined quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,857 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,978 shares during the period.
NVIDIA collects a check whether hyperscalers borrow, issue stock, or drain their cash reserves, but Meta faces a funding squeeze that could reshape what shareholders actually own. The size of one expected equity offering may decide how this AI spending…
Chip stocks bounced on October 19, and the session showed who collects the money in this AI cycle. The Nasdaq rose 1.3% with semiconductors leading; NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) gained 1.38%, and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) slipped 0.55%.
Seema Mody’s segment that day focused on that split. The GPU supplier rose while the hyperscaler expected to raise outside money fell behind, although one session cannot show that equity talk drove Meta lower.
Meta’s expansion now needs more than its own cash. It guided 2026 capital expenditures to $130 billion to $145 billion, and second-quarter free cash flow fell to $784 million from $8.55 billion a year earlier.
NVIDIA reported $96.22 billion in quarterly revenue, up 105.8%. That gap between the buyer’s falling cash and the seller’s rising sales is why the coming hyperscaler reports carry more weight than a typical quarter.
Why This Pullback Could Precede Strong Hyperscaler Reports Mody cited Evercore ISI: “Evercore ISI out with a note this morning that leans a bit more bullish saying the pullback that we’ve recently seen in these names comes ahead of what they think will be a strong hyperscaler earnings season.” The firm reads recent weakness as a setup for those reports.
NVIDIA is still down 4.08% over the past week and 2.33% over the past month, although it is up 16.67% year to date.
Meta fell 5.05% over the past week and is down 1.28% over the past year despite a 7.13% gain in 2026. The weak one-year return suggests some investors likely doubt the payoff from the spending.
Watch capital spending plans, AI revenue, and how the spending gets financed. NVIDIA expects top five hyperscaler capex to reach nearly $800 billion in 2026.
Older NVIDIA Chips Still Hold Their Value Mody noted: “The H100 that’s Nvidia’s older chip has held up in terms of pricing ever since Anthropic’s latest model came out.” New model launches are lifting demand for older hardware too.
That signals demand for compute still exceeds supply. NVIDIA said it has supply for about 70% of demand.
It also protects collateral, because GPUs now back loans. Chips that hold their rental rates also hold their value as loan collateral.
Asia is more cautious: “Bank of America’s semiconductor team just returning from Asia, sharing with clients that investors there are a bit more anxious about the AI funding cycle.” The worry there centers on funding.
GPU-Backed Loans Are Becoming the Default Mody said: “Consensus amongst credit folks we spoke to over the weekend is that GPU backed loans will be the go to option for these companies. Unsecured debt will be less desirable, especially at 15%.” That shifts financing risk onto chip values.
Unsecured borrowing near 15% makes long-dated data centers hard to justify. Secured loans cost less because lenders can claim the hardware.
Nebius Group (NASDAQ:NBIS) entered its first senior secured facility, about $775 million backed by GPUs and contracted cash flows, in July 2026. If used GPU prices fall, the collateral declines and lenders tighten terms.
Meta’s Expected Stock Sale Comes Down to Size Analysts expect a Meta stock sale, and Mody said the open issue is size: “The biggest question is not whether META will issue stock, but how big META’s equity offering could be. They say the market is comfortable for 30 billion.” Meta has not announced an offering.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) completed an $80 billion stock issuance a couple of months ago. Dilution spreads future profits across more owners.
Meta’s apps reach over 3.6 billion daily active people. AI spending is exceeding even that level of cash generation.
Long-term debt already reached $83.66 billion, and issuing stock would likely let Meta avoid borrowing near 15%.
What Meta’s Expected Raise Means for Shareholders The size and terms of Meta’s raise remain unknown, which leaves the valuation case uncertain. At $705.44 and a trailing P/E of 26, dilution and an open-ended spending cap limit upside for existing holders.
NVIDIA sits in a different position. At $217.09 and a trailing P/E of 44, it costs more, but it gets paid whether buyers use stock, GPU-backed loans, or cash.
Steady H100 pricing points to durable demand, and NVIDIA guided third-quarter revenue to $108.0 billion, plus or minus 2%.
A smaller-than-expected raise or clear AI revenue disclosure from Meta would ease concerns about dilution and its spending payoff. Hyperscaler earnings will show whether either arrives.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
AlphaStar Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) by 6.3% during the undefined quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,901 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 888 shares during the
The early success of its personal agent is attracting investors to Meta (META -0.55%) stock.
*Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of Oct. 16, 2026. The video was published on Oct. 18, 2026.
Parkev Tatevosian, CFA has positions in Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Parkev Tatevosian is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through his link, he will earn some extra money that supports his channel. His opinions remain his own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool.
Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (SMT) has lost momentum in the past few days as investors wait for earnings of its top companies. It dropped to 1,538p on Tuesday, down by 6.8% from its highest point this year.
Meta's massive artificial intelligence outlays and adoption of its Muse personal assistant will be in focus when it reports third-quarter results on Wednesday, as the social media firm seeks to show that its AI investments can sustain growth.
The company (META.O) has rolled out several AI products and services targeting businesses as CEO Mark Zuckerberg looks to create a new revenue stream beyond advertising to compete better in the AI race with OpenAI and Anthropic.
Positive reception for Meta's Muse assistant, which offers subscriptions, and its latest AI models have boosted investor confidence in the company's AI strategy, as Meta commits hundreds of billions of dollars to expanding its AI infrastructure
"Recent AI launches have strengthened confidence in the company's AI execution," BofA Global Research analysts said, adding that its survey also suggests healthy ad demand in the quarter
Analysts estimate Meta's capital expenditure more than doubled to $41.68 billion in the September quarter, according to Visible Alpha data
The rising spending had squeezed its free cash flow in the second quarter and analysts expect it to report a cash burn of $8.52 billion in the third quarter
Morgan Stanley analysts raised their earnings estimates for 2027 and 2028 for Meta despite higher spending, citing stronger ad growth and the potential for new AI products to generate additional revenue
Wall Street expects Meta to report a decline of about 17% in net income to $15.44 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG
Meta is set to report revenue growth of 23.8% to $63.42 billion, slowing from about 28% in the previous quarter amid intense competition from Google and TikTok
Shares of the company have gained about 7% this year, underperforming a roughly 12% rise in the benchmark S&P 500
Ve středu večer po zavření amerického trhu zveřejní své výsledky za třetí čtvrtletí technologický gigant Meta Platforms. Investoři budou sledovat především to, zda se provozovateli Facebooku či Instagramu daří proměňovat rekordní investice do umělé inteligence v nové zdroje příjmů a udržet silnou dynamiku reklamního byznysu.
Ve druhém čtvrtletí Meta vykázala tržby ve výši 60,8 mld. USD, čímž překonala odhady analytiků na úrovni 59,5 miliardy USD. Zisk na akcii však činil „jen“ 6,18 USD, což za odhady trhu, jenž počítal s více než sedmi dolary, zaostalo.
Pro třetí čtvrtletí Wall Street očekává, že Meta by měla vykázat tržby ve výši 63,3 mld. USD, což by představovalo meziroční růst přibližně 23,5 procenta. Pro upravený zisk na akcii (EPS) se pak obecný konsenzus pohybuje mezi 6,50 až 6,85 dolaru.
Meta pro letošní rok počítá s kapitálovými výdaji mezi 130 až 145 miliardami dolarů (skoro dvojnásobek toho, co loni), protože pokračuje v rozsáhlých investicích do AI infrastruktury. Klíčovou otázkou pro investory tak (opět) bude, zda společnost dokáže obří výdaje na AI obhájit tím, že začínají generovat odpovídající výnosy.
Během červencového konferenčního hovoru k výsledkům za druhé čtvrtletí CEO společnosti Mark Zuckerberg prohlásil, že osobní AI agenti budou tvořit základ další fáze vývoje produktů a monetizace společnosti. „Vyvíjíme nové osobní agenty, kteří budou základem naší další vlny produktů a zdrojů příjmů v nadcházejících měsících a letech,“ uvedl tehdy.
Od té doby se jeho slova začala, zdá se, pomalu naplňovat. V září Meta představila Muse, AI agenta navrženého k vykonávání úkolů jménem uživatele (např. odesílání e-mailů či rezervace letenek). Základní verze je zdarma, zatímco předplatné stojí 20 USD nebo 100 USD měsíčně pro uživatele, kteří potřebují vyšší limity využití.
Bedlivě sledovaný je také reklamní byznys, jenž zůstává hlavním zdrojem příjmů Mety. Pozornost tak bude upřena na to, zda se firmě daří udržet silné tempo růstu právě díky AI nástrojům pro cílení reklam a doporučování obsahu. Ve druhém čtvrtletí reklamní tržby meziročně vzrostly o 27 procent, přičemž počet zobrazených reklam stoupl o 14 procent a průměrná cena reklamy o 12 procent,
A vedle samotných výsledků bude zásadní také výhled managementu. Podle Bloombergu trh aktuálně počítá za čtvrté čtvrtletí s tržbami kolem 73,6 mld. USD. Jakýkoliv odklon od těchto očekávání by mohl vyvolat tlak na akcie. Ty jsou od začátku roku v plusu přibližně o 8,5 procenta, přičemž od září díky úspěchu s vydáním Muse výrazně rostly. V posledních týdnech je ovšem poslal nazpět, jako zbytek trhu, negativní sentiment investorů.
Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have led this bull market over the past three years, pushing the S&P 500 to record highs. Investors were eager to get in on this promising technology early on, and in many cases, they've already greatly benefited. For example, chip designers such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, as well as cloud companies like Alphabet, have seen revenue and stock performance march higher.
In recent weeks, though, AI stocks have faced various headwinds, from general concerns about the economy to questions about AI spending. The spending issue has emerged as a key risk: If the revenue opportunity doesn't match these companies' spending levels, their earnings and stock performance could suffer.
Considering this, investors are seeking clues about the future AI opportunity. And they might gather some on Oct. 21, after the market closes. For this reason, my prediction is that this day and the one to follow might be huge for the stock market. Let's find out exactly what's on the agenda and zoom in on the details.
Image source: Getty Images.
Earnings season for tech giantsSo, what's happening on Oct. 21? The first of the "Magnificent Seven" companies involved in the AI race is set to report third-quarter earnings. These companies are Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Meta Platforms (META -0.55%), Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. Earnings season kicked off earlier this month, with reports from financial companies, and as of this week, the biggest tech companies will begin reporting.
And the company to kick things off is Meta. You might best associate this tech giant with social media, due to its ownership of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. These are among the world's most popular social media apps, with 3.6 billion people using at least one every day. They also have been the major driver of revenue for Meta, with advertisers paying to access space across these apps.
META Meta Platforms$705.44-$3.89 (-0.55%)
NASDAQ · As of 4:00 PM ET 10/19/26
In the latest quarter, this generated a 28% gain in total revenue to $60 billion, with ad revenue making up $59 billion. And over time, this revenue stream has pushed earnings higher.
In recent years, though, Meta broadened its focus to include AI -- and it's betting heavily that this business will be a major part of its future earnings opportunity. Meta has spent billions of dollars on data center build-out, the development of its own large language models, and the hiring of a rock-solid team of AI experts to lead the way.
Investing in AI infrastructureAs this started to unfold, some investors worried about the levels of investment, and this weighed on Meta's stock performance during certain moments of the AI story. Meta's capital spending-to-revenue ratio, a metric measuring the revenue reinvested into assets, has reached about 35%. And considering Meta's AI ambitions, this ratio could continue to climb.
META CAPEX to Revenue (Annual) data by YCharts
On Wednesday, as Meta's fresh earnings report unfolds, investors will be looking to see how much capex might grow in the quarters to come and, importantly, whether this spending is translating into growth for Meta. This may offer us clues about the earnings opportunity ahead for this particular company, and it also might provide a few early hints about what to expect from other "Magnificent Seven" companies when they report earnings in the coming days.
There's reason to be optimistic, considering Meta recently launched a key product, its personal AI agent Muse -- and downloads reached record levels. Though these have been free downloads, the app also offers subscriptions for those who aim to use it more. This represents Meta's initial attempts to monetize its AI investments.
Any positive trends noted by Meta could boost the stock and could also lift other AI shares as investors anticipate more good news from other tech giants in the days to come. All of this may happen as early as Thursday, the first trading session after the report. And given AI stocks' major role in stock market movement, Meta's report could offer the S&P 500 direction in the days to come.
Po prudkém výprodeji akcií spojených s umělou inteligencí se pozornost investorů přesouvá k výsledkové sezóně, která má odpovědět na zásadní otázku: dokážou firemní zisky ospravedlnit bezprecedentní investice do AI infrastruktury? Klíčový test čeká především společnost Meta, jejíž výhled kapitálových výdajů může výrazně ovlivnit jak technologické giganty, tak celý ekosystém výrobců čipů, datových center a poskytovatelů cloudových služeb.
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Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD raised its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,279 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 934 shares during the quarter. Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $6,729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in META. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $7,230,426,000 after purchasing an additional 162,909 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,784,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Meta Platforms Stock Performance Shares of META opened at $709.33 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $655.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $626.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.19. 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 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.14 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.81 EPS for the current fiscal year. Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued 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 presently 7.91%.
Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total transaction of $688,782.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 6,932 shares in the company, valued at $5,047,189.20. This trade represents a 12.01% decrease in their position. 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 148,331 shares of company stock valued at $101,233,569. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have weighed in on META. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. President Capital raised shares of Meta Platforms from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Mizuho set a $750.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citic Securities dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $796.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $808.88.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Meta Platforms
More Meta Platforms News Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits 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’s principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.
Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms These 3 Green Stocks Have a Growth Story That Goes Far Beyond Washington Meta Claims Frontier-Class AI Status With New Muse Wonder Models Berkshire Just Backed This Little-Known Stock—Should You Chase It? Broadcom’s CEO Sees Years of AI Demand But Warns of a Bigger Threat to the Boom
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Shelton Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,290 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 841 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 0.9% of Shelton Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Shelton Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,386,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 24.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. now owns 3,435 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,492,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. TB Alternative Assets Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.3% during the third quarter. TB Alternative Assets Ltd. now owns 104,435 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $75,734,000 after purchasing an additional 2,395 shares in the last quarter. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Michael J. Porro & Co. Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth $251,000. Finally, North Capital Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the third quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 2,408 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets META has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wedbush increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “overweight” rating and set a $920.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. Citic Securities reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, 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 note on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $808.88.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Meta Platforms Meta Platforms Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $709.33 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $655.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $626.49. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.19.
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 return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The company 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 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The company 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. 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 payout ratio is presently 7.91%.
Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 148,331 shares of company stock worth $101,233,569 over the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.
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’s principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.
Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms These 3 Green Stocks Have a Growth Story That Goes Far Beyond Washington Meta Claims Frontier-Class AI Status With New Muse Wonder Models Berkshire Just Backed This Little-Known Stock—Should You Chase It? Broadcom’s CEO Sees Years of AI Demand But Warns of a Bigger Threat to the Boom 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 (META.O) apologized for suspending the Instagram account of the "No Kings" protest movement over the weekend, attributing the shutdown to a sharp increase in activity that looked like automated bot traffic rather than human exchanges.
Demonstrators gathered at thousands of events across the United States on Saturday decrying President Donald Trump's aggressive deportation efforts, war in Iran and other policies in the third round of the "No Kings" rallies.
The Instagram account used by organizers and attendees, however, was offline for more than an hour. And Meta spokesman Andy Stone wrote in a post on X that it took longer to fix problems with organizers' access to the accounts.
Stone said network security systems detected the use of a Claude tool reading profiles, posts, and hashtags, with the rate sharply increasing in intense bursts on October 17.
"These abrupt, high-volume, sequential requests in a short period resembled automated bot traffic rather than an ordinary human browsing our systems. This activity caused our automated protections to incorrectly take the No Kings Instagram account offline," he said.
"We want to reiterate our sincere apology for the error."
Rally organizers were not satisfied on Monday.
"Meta's explanation still doesn't add up," the No Kings Coalition said on the Bluesky platform. "Beyond shutting down our Instagram, we’ve received reports that NoKings and early voting content was inaccessible, restricted, or seemed suppressed across Meta platforms."
"Weeks before an election, an apology isn't enough. The public needs answers, accountability, and concrete safeguards," the coalition said.
"No Kings" rallies took place in cities from Seattle and San Diego to Chicago, Atlanta and New York. In Washington, DC, protesters gathered at the site of Trump's proposed triumphal arch to encourage early voting before the November 3 midterm congressional elections.
Po prudkém výprodeji akcií spojených s umělou inteligencí se pozornost investorů přesouvá k výsledkové sezóně, která má odpovědět na zásadní otázku: dokážou firemní zisky ospravedlnit bezprecedentní investice do AI infrastruktury? Klíčový test čeká především společnost Meta, jejíž výhled kapitálových výdajů může výrazně ovlivnit jak technologické giganty, tak celý ekosystém výrobců čipů, datových center a poskytovatelů cloudových služeb.
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Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) stock fell nearly 1% in Monday's premarket trading, despite gains in broader technology stocks, as investors positioned themselves ahead of the company's Oct. 21 earnings report.
Po prudkém výprodeji akcií spojených s umělou inteligencí se pozornost investorů přesouvá k výsledkové sezóně, která má odpovědět na zásadní otázku: dokážou firemní zisky ospravedlnit bezprecedentní investice do AI infrastruktury? Klíčový test čeká především společnost Meta, jejíž výhled kapitálových výdajů může výrazně ovlivnit jak technologické giganty, tak celý ekosystém výrobců čipů, datových center a poskytovatelů cloudových služeb.
Pokračování článku je dostupné jen klientům placených služeb Patria Plus / Investor Plus případně uživatelům platformy Patria Direct. Pokud jste klientem těchto služeb, potom je nutné se Přihlásit.
V rámci placeného informačního servisu získáte přístup ke kompletnímu zpravodajství www.patria.cz bez jakýchkoliv omezení. Veškeré zprávy, komentáře a horké zprávy jsou zobrazovány terminálovou metodou (bez nutnosti obnovovat stránku) bez zpoždění a v plné verzi.
Nejen zpravodajství, ale i další služby získáte v Patria Plus / Investor Plus - sms a e-mailové zpravodajství, data z finančních trhů v reálném čase, kompletní analytický servis, rozsáhlé databáze časových řad ke stažení, prognózy vývoje a valuace, ekonomické fundamenty, nástroje a kalkulátory... více
Magnificent Seven company Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META recently made a landmark statement related to its artificial intelligence journey.
Meta Platforms Today
$709.33 -27.39 (-3.72%)
As of 10/16/2026 04:00 PM Eastern
$520.26▼
$779.820.30%
26.72
$808.88
The company claims that Muse Wonder, its latest model family, is frontier-class, putting it in the same territory as models developed by OpenAI and Anthropic.
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This marks the first time Meta has framed its Muse models as among the most intelligent available. And, investors don’t just have to take Meta’s word for it; model evaluation sites provide third-party validation of this claim.
As Meta looks to improve AI monetization over time, developing a leading-class model could be a key benefit the firm has historically lacked.
Meta’s New Muse Models Move Up in Frontier Ranking HierarchyApproximately 14 months ago, Meta began to “overhaul” its AI efforts. This overhaul included launching Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) and hiring Alexandr Wang to lead the division. Before this, investors saw Meta’s Llama models as lagging far behind the frontier, leaving them with limited confidence in the company’s ability to compete with other LLM developers.
By April 2026, MSL released its first model, Muse Spark. Although the firm noted that Muse Spark was its most powerful model yet, the company framed it as being “competitive” rather than pushing the frontier of model development. With the release of Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, that framing has changed.
Meta now notes that the Muse Wonder models “deliver state-of-the-art performance on personal and professional agentic tasks.” Data from the model evaluation site, Artificial Analysis, supports Meta’s assessment and highlights a significant jump in performance compared to its previous model, Muse Spark 1.3.
On its Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, the evaluator gives Muse Wonder Full a score of 56. This ties for the second-highest score of any model, with Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 5.5 also scoring 56. Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 has the highest score at 58. Muse Wonder Full notably ranks above OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra and Alphabet’s NASDAQ: GOOGL Gemini 4 Argon, which both have scores of 53. Meanwhile, Muse Wonder scores slightly lower at 52.
With Muse Wonder Full and Muse Wonder both ranking in this upper echelon, Artificial Analysis’s data supports the idea that Meta now has frontier-class models in its hands. The firm also notes a significant jump in the capabilities of these models compared to Muse Spark 1.3, which has a score of 48.
Meta Raises Model Prices, Keeps Muse Wonder Full Behind Subscription WallInterestingly, Muse Wonder comes with a hefty price increase versus Muse Spark 1.3. On their max settings, Muse Wonder’s cost per Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index task is $4.52, or 2.8 times higher than Muse Spark 1.3’s cost of $1.60. This is still meaningfully below the cost per task of Anthropic’s most intelligent models, but also significantly higher than OpenAI and Alphabet’s top models. The increase suggests that Meta believes the model’s improved capabilities justify a higher price.
On the other hand, the more powerful Muse Wonder Full is only available through $50 per month and $200 per month subscriptions to Muse Code, not on a per-token basis. This suggests that Meta primarily wants to position Muse Wonder Full as being for agentic coding tasks, while Muse Wonder is more for general-purpose usage. It also suggests that Meta hopes to build a more stable, subscription-based revenue stream by keeping Muse Wonder Full behind this gate.
Additionally, by keeping Muse Wonder Full access to only Muse Code subscribers, it gives software developers a reason to try Muse Code. This could help Meta position Muse Code as a competitor to Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex. Still, only time will tell whether software developers actually stick with Muse Code rather than experimenting with it for a short time.
Meta notes that Muse Wonder will soon power more of its Muse agent. As the company looks to scale this product, Muse Wonder’s improved capabilities could improve user experiences and aid demand.
Meta Releases a Flurry of Products With Q3 Earnings on the HorizonMeta has demonstrated the ability to significantly improve its models in a relatively short time. This bodes well for the company’s ability to continue competing with other model developers on frontier intelligence and to scale its non-advertising AI revenue. However, up to this point, Meta’s non-ad AI potential has yet to meaningfully translate into its financial results.
The Muse agent, the Meta Enterprise Platform, Muse Code, and now the Muse Wonder model releases should make Meta’s future earnings calls more interesting. Investors should look for signs of strong early adoption and, over time, a contribution to revenue growth. Meta’s next earnings report is quickly approaching, slated for Oct. 21 after the market close.
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Ellsworth Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 72.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,134 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 11,013 shares during the quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,998,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits Insider Transactions 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 shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction 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, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total transaction of $688,782.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 6,932 shares in the company, valued at $5,047,189.20. The trade was a 12.01% decrease in their position. 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 quarter, insiders sold 149,797 shares of company stock worth $102,180,385. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Meta Platforms Price Performance META stock opened at $709.33 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $655.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $625.86. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $1.81 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.19.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for 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 was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.81 EPS for the current year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The company also recently announced 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 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 presently 7.91%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have recently commented on META shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $900.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. 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. Finally, Pivotal Research upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $808.88.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Meta Platforms
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’s principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.
Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Rocket Lab’s Neutron Delay Leaves Wall Street Bullish But Raises the Stakes for 2027 ManpowerGroup Stock Sinks on Q3 Results, But Fundamentals Stay Solid Does the AI Selloff Put Alphabet’s Breakout in Doubt? Bank Earnings Are Mixed—These 2 ETFs Offer Very Different Paths to a Recovery
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First Merchants Corp boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,009 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,017 shares during the quarter. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $18,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Activity In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 document filed 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, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 over the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms recently issued reports on META. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $796.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Pivotal Research increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Phillip Securities raised shares of Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $808.88. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on META
Meta Platforms Stock Performance Meta Platforms stock opened at $709.33 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.81 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. 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’s 50-day moving average is $655.78 and its 200-day moving average is $625.86.
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 (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.81 earnings per share for the current year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.
Meta Platforms News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits 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’s principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.
Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Rocket Lab’s Neutron Delay Leaves Wall Street Bullish But Raises the Stakes for 2027 ManpowerGroup Stock Sinks on Q3 Results, But Fundamentals Stay Solid Does the AI Selloff Put Alphabet’s Breakout in Doubt? Bank Earnings Are Mixed—These 2 ETFs Offer Very Different Paths to a Recovery
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Louisiana Delta Community College in West Monroe has a mock data center room on campus.
Business Insider
Thousands of construction workers are arriving in a small Louisiana community to build Meta's largest-ever data center.
Less than an hour away, at the Louisiana Delta Community College's West Monroe campus, the next generation of data center professionals is hoping to join their ranks.
"I see AI is really the future. We're going to need data centers to house all the data," Eric Crowe Jr., 27, told Business Insider. "I feel like it will become a very lucrative job to have, and we're going to need more of them. Why not get in now before it gets oversaturated?"
Crowe Jr. is among the students who signed up for the community college's Data Center Technician program. The four-week, nearly $3,700 training course prepares students to enter the data center industry, which is rapidly expanding to support the age of AI.
Construction for Meta's nearly 10-million-square-foot data center, Hyperion, is underway in rural Richland Parish, where business is now thriving as workers flood the region.
Meta says the project will include over 7,500 trade workers on-site at peak construction and support 1,000 operational jobs once completed. For residents living in the region, where there's no state minimum wage law and agriculture is a major industry, the new opportunity to make good money in a growing sector is too enticing to ignore.
"This is a stepping stone into the real world," Dan McCarty, director of Workforce Trades at Louisiana Delta Community College, said. "We prepare you with a résumé. We work on every aspect of employability, safety, and technical skills."
The inaugural class graduated in March, and all 11 students received job offers from IES Communications, which employs people working on Meta's project. McCarty said the program, which is available at the Winnsboro campus, now produces about 24 graduates a month.
In the past, a lot of people, including myself, had to leave here to find the good jobs," McCarty said. "Now they're 30 minutes down the road."
'It's a no-brainer'
Louisiana Delta Community College's program lasts four weeks.
Business Insider
The Data Center Technician program teaches students everything from operating equipment to workplace safety. They'll also have the opportunity to earn several certificates. During a class this September, nine students huddled around Fletch Batchelor, an instructor specializing in broadband, as he explained how to splice fiber optic cables.
"Do you know why squirrels chew through cable? They like a high fiber diet," Batchelor said, earning some chuckles.
The program encourages students to take a hands-on approach, which Trey Wadley, 30, said he appreciates. During the class, he participated in a live cable splicing demonstration. Wadley, who's interested in cybersecurity and has a background in the automotive industry, learned about the program while scrolling on Facebook, which, incidentally, is owned by Meta.
"As I learned more about Meta and data centers, they piqued my interest," he said. "I said, 'Okay, this might be something that fits me and that I'm into. I decided to give it a try."
Wadley, who recently welcomed a baby girl, wants to find work with Meta's project so he can work locally. Without Meta's project, Wadley said he'd likely have gone looking for job opportunities in Texas.
Trey Wadley and Fletch Batchelor examine fiber optic cables during the Data Center Technician program.
Business Insider
The push from tech companies and the US government to build out the nation's AI infrastructure has made data center jobs a valuable new path to lucrative employment. Business Insider reported in August that the median pay for data-center facility managers was $134,000, which is 64% higher than that of other facilities managers. The median pay for project managers at data center facilities was $115,000, a 12% increase over similar roles at other facilities.
Wadley said he's hoping to secure a position paying between $25 and $30 an hour. So is Crowe Jr., who previously handled packages and drove for FedEx, where he was averaging $14 an hour.
"Here, I could make about $25 to $30 per hour. It's a no-brainer for lots of people to pivot," Crowe Jr., who has an interest in cybersecurity, said.
McCarty said entry-level positions could earn as much as $24 an hour, but students who've graduated told him they reached $27 to $28 an hour within six months.
Booked and busyResidents in Richland Parish, like other communities in the United States, have mixed feelings about the data center. While some say it will bring new jobs and boost the local economy, others are concerned about environmental impacts and disruptions to their daily lives.
It's a reality not lost on Crowe Jr. and Wadley, but they said it's unlikely that AI will simply go away.
"I think we should focus more on solutions to how we can coexist with it," Wadley said.
Students attending the technician class in September also spent time in a mock data center on campus, where they could apply skills they'd learned in class in a real-world setting.
Students gain hands-on experience while learning at Louisiana Delta Community College.
Business Insider
While they tinkered with the equipment, John Bradley, a broadband workforce development instructor, said having access to a similar program as a teen would have been invaluable.
"I chose an alternative route, which was in construction and oil fields, but if I'd have had something like this that would've guaranteed me a good job, good money from the get go, and I could travel if I wanted to, I would've loved that," he said.
Bradley said the program prepares its graduates to be hired by contractors specifically working with Meta.
"We have a special email that we give to different contractors we spoke with that are waiting for them to graduate our class," Bradley said.
However, working at Meta isn't a requirement of participating in the program. Bradley said the skills students learn during the course are transferable, especially as data centers and similar construction jobs become more popular.
"It doesn't have to be a Meta data center. You may decide, 'Hey, I don't want to work in data centers anymore.' You still got banks, you still got IT departments," Bradley said. "You can literally go to work anywhere you want and use the same trades you learned here."
McCarty said the program has a backlog of students trying to get into the course, so they're hoping to expand their offerings.
"We've got some that are fresh outta high school, but we've had students up to 60 years old," he said. "It doesn't really matter what age you decide to get into this trade. Anyone is welcome to come in and learn it."
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Demonstrators hold signs during a "No Kings" protest at the South Carolina Statehouse.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Meta said Saturday that an automatic trigger is to blame for the No Kings movement's Instagram account being suspended in the midst of a nationwide effort to mobilize early voting in the midterms.
The network, which bills itself as nonpartisan but arose last year in response to President Donald Trump's actions, said its account went dark for "several hours" at the peak of its event.
"Even after visibility was restored, we had no access to the account for hours," the group posted on its account.
In a statement on X, Meta spokesman Andy Stone said that accounts posting, sharing, or commenting at "very high frequencies" can prompt an automated response.
"That's what happened with the No Kings IG account in the lead up to today's day of action. Unfortunately, that automated action was clearly taken in error," he said in an X post.
"Everything is now working as it should and we sincerely apologize."
No Kings said it wants a deeper explanation from Meta. "Restricting communications about voting in the middle of an election is unacceptable," it said in its post.
"Meta must answer for this suspension and take immediate steps to ensure it never happens again — to any account, but especially those working to inform voters and encourage participation in our democracy."
The group said it held nearly 3,000 rallies across the country to encourage voters to cast their ballots early as a hedge against any effort to undermine turnout in an election that will determine the balance of power in Congress.
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Tracy Connor is the Standards Editor at Business Insider. In her role she works with journalists on questions during the reporting process, reviews sensitive pieces, oversees editorial policies, and helps train people on standards.She is the former editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast, where she began as the executive editor, overseeing an award-winning newsroom of about 70 staffers. Previously, she was a senior reporter for the NBC News Investigations Unit, working on projects for digital and broadcast. Prior to that, she spent 10 years at the New York Daily News as an editor and reporter; she has also worked for the New York Post, United Press International, and a chain of weekly newspapers in Brooklyn.A graduate of Columbia University and the Coney Island Sideshow School, she lives in Brooklyn with her franken-dog Pearl. Don't say anything bad about Dolly Parton or em-dashes in front of her!
Meta recently updated its commercial terms of use, declaring that the company can “use any content from [a business account’s] domains, web pages, or URLs to provide, develop, improve, research, train, and maintain the integrity of” Meta products and services.
According to legal experts interviewed by Nieman Lab, this looked like a “remarkable provision” that could give Meta permission to scrape the website of any publisher with a Meta business account and use the content to train the company’s AI models. (While Meta defeated a high-profile lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement last year, other cases against AI companies, including Meta, continue.)
However, a Meta spokesperson insisted that the updated terms did not reflect a change in the way Meta crawls the web. And now, The Verge reports that the provision has been removed.
“We’ve heard you and want to clarify: the crawling terms we consolidated only applied to our ads and business products, and we’ve clarified that in the terms themselves,” the company said in a statement. “It does not change how Meta uses web crawlers.”
Meta Platform, Inc’s (NASDAQ:META) Oct. 21 earnings report could offer a critical test of whether artificial intelligence investments are translating into stronger profits, with implications for ETFs holding the social media giant.
Bank of America expects Meta to report third-quarter revenue of $63.8 billion, above the $63.3 billion consensus estimate. The bank also forecasts fourth-quarter revenue of $74.1 billion, ahead of the $73.6 billion market estimate, as AI-driven improvements in advertising support growth.
But the spending required to sustain that growth could complicate the outlook for technology-heavy ETFs.
The bigger concern is the scale of Meta’s AI infrastructure spending. Bank of America expects 2026 capital expenditure of $140 billion to $145 billion and projects it could reach $205 billion in 2027. Investors will be looking for evidence that stronger advertising returns can justify those costs.
• Meta Platforms stock is taking a hit today. What’s pressuring META stock?
Three ETFs to watchMeta exposure across selected funds:
First Trust Dow Jones Internet ETF (NYSE:FDN): With a portfolio weight of 11.04% toward Meta
Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF (BATS:MAGS): With a portfolio weight of 14.26% toward Meta
Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ): With a portfolio weight of 3.37% toward Meta
MAGS offers exposure to the Magnificent Seven stocks, making Meta’s earnings particularly relevant to the fund’s performance. A strong advertising outlook could reinforce investor confidence in the group’s AI monetization potential, while concerns about rising infrastructure costs could weigh on sentiment toward these mega-cap technology stocks.
FDN provides more concentrated exposure to internet businesses, including companies whose revenues depend on digital advertising and online engagement. Meta’s results could therefore influence sentiment toward the broader internet sector, particularly if management provides fresh evidence that AI is improving advertising efficiency and monetization.
QQQ, meanwhile, tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index and offers broader exposure across major non-financial Nasdaq-listed companies. Although Meta accounts for a smaller 3.37% of its portfolio, its earnings could still affect the fund through its direct stock exposure and the broader implications for AI-related investment and technology valuations.
The distinction matters for investors. MAGS has the greatest direct sensitivity to Meta among these three funds based on the supplied weights, FDN offers a more focused internet-sector angle, and QQQ provides broader technology and growth-stock exposure. However, actual performance will also depend on how other portfolio holdings perform and how markets interpret Meta’s results.
The Earnings Risk for ETF InvestorsMeta’s earnings-per-share figure may also require careful interpretation. Bank of America expects $3.79, against the $6.08 consensus, partly because of a one-off $10 billion legal settlement charge. The bank expects operating income to exceed market expectations after excluding that charge.
For ETF investors, the key signals will be fourth-quarter revenue guidance, evidence that AI is improving ad targeting and engagement, and management’s outlook for infrastructure spending. A stronger advertising outlook could reinforce the AI growth narrative, but accelerating costs without corresponding revenue gains could pressure valuations across technology-heavy portfolios.
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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) could deliver stronger-than-expected third-quarter revenue as artificial intelligence improves its advertising business, according to Bank of America.
In a Friday note, Bank of America Securities analyst Justin Post reiterated a Buy rating on Meta with an unchanged $810 price forecast.
The forecast implies approximately 10% upside from the stock’s reference price of $736.72.
Strong Advertising Demand Could Drive Earnings BeatPost expects Meta to report third-quarter revenue of $63.8 billion, above Wall Street’s consensus estimate of $63.3 billion.
The analyst projects advertising revenue of $62.2 billion, representing 24% year-over-year growth.
Bank of America’s advertising checks suggest that AI-powered targeting and automation are helping advertisers generate stronger returns. These improvements could support continued revenue growth.
However, the firm lowered its third-quarter earnings estimate from $7.08 to $3.79 per share, below Wall Street’s $6.08 consensus.
The reduction reflects an expected one-time $10 billion legal accrual tied to Meta’s settlement with state attorneys general.
Excluding the charge, Post expects underlying earnings to exceed consensus estimates.
AI Investment Could Reach $205 Billion in 2027Bank of America raised its 2027 capital expenditure forecast to $205 billion from $192 billion, exceeding Wall Street’s $195 billion estimate.
The increase reflects growing infrastructure requirements for Meta’s Muse AI products and enterprise AI initiatives.
For 2026, the analyst expects Meta to narrow its capital expenditure guidance to $135 billion-$145 billion.
Meanwhile, Bank of America expects fourth-quarter revenue of $74.1 billion and earnings of $8.74 per share, both above consensus estimates.
Muse Adoption Offers Another Growth CatalystPost identified Meta’s expanding AI ecosystem as a potential catalyst for the stock.
According to Sensor Tower data cited in the report, Muse surpassed 8.9 million downloads and reached 2.23 million daily active users as of Oct. 12.
The analyst believes stronger adoption, enterprise AI partnerships and improved infrastructure efficiency could support a higher valuation.
However, rising AI costs and uncertainty around monetization could pressure earnings growth in 2027.
Bank of America remains bullish, citing Meta’s advertising strength and improving AI capabilities.
Investors will focus on the company’s third-quarter results on Oct. 21 for updates on AI adoption, spending and the outlook for profitability.
Earnings and Analyst OutlookWall Street expects Meta to report third-quarter earnings of $6.09 per share, down from $7.25 a year earlier.
Revenue is projected to reach $63.31 billion, up from $51.24 billion in the year-ago period.
Analysts maintain a consensus Buy rating, with an average price forecast of $797.92.
Recent analyst actions include JPMorgan maintaining an Overweight rating with a $920 price forecast, Citigroup raising its forecast to $895 and Goldman Sachs maintaining a Buy rating with a $762 forecast.
Stock AnalysisMeta stock fell more than 2% on Friday as investors pulled back from major technology and growth stocks ahead of the company’s upcoming earnings report.
The Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.35%, while the S&P 500 declined 0.38%.
Meta also faces a key earnings test on Oct. 21, which could increase volatility as investors assess the company’s advertising growth and artificial intelligence spending.
Meta remains in a longer-term uptrend despite Friday’s decline.
The stock trades 9.9% above its 50-day simple moving average (SMA) and about 14% above its 200-day SMA and exponential moving average (EMA).
An October golden cross, a bullish technical signal, also supports the longer-term trend.
However, shares have slipped 2.1% below their 20-day SMA, signaling weaker short-term momentum.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) stands at 53.11, indicating neutral momentum.
Key technical levels include resistance near $780, slightly above the stock’s 52-week high of $779.82, and support around $711.50.
Meta Price ActionMETA Stock Price Activity: Meta Platforms shares were down 2.17% at $720.71 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of META either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
This text expresses the views of the author as of the date indicated, and such views are subject to change without notice. The author has no duty or obligation to update the information contained herein. Further, wherever there is the potential for profit, there is also the possibility of loss. Additionally, the present article is being made available for educational purposes only and should not be used for any other purpose. The information contained herein does not constitute and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services or an offer to sell or solicitation to buy any securities or related financial instruments in any jurisdiction. Some information and data contained herein concerning economic trends and performance are based on or derived from information provided by independent third-party sources. The author trusts that the sources from which such information has been obtained are reliable; however, it cannot guarantee the accuracy of such information and has not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of such information or the assumptions on which such information is based.
Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META, XETRA:FB2A, SIX:FB) is expected to beat third-quarter revenue forecasts as artificial intelligence (AI) supports advertising growth, Bank of America has said.
The bank forecasts revenue of $63.8 billion for the three months to September, above the $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintains a Buy rating with an $810 price target.
Meta is due to report results on 21 October, with investors focused on advertising trends, new AI products and the cost of expanding its computing infrastructure.
Bank of America expects earnings per share of $3.79, below the $6.08 consensus, after Meta records a one-off $10 billion legal settlement charge linked to state attorneys general.
Excluding that charge, the bank expects operating income to exceed market expectations, despite the substantial accounting impact of the settlement.
For the fourth quarter, Bank of America forecasts revenue of $74.1 billion and earnings per share of $8.74, compared with consensus estimates of $73.6 billion and $8.18, respectively.
The bank expects Meta to guide for fourth-quarter revenue of between $71.5 billion and $74.5 billion, representing an annual growth of 19% to 24%, against 25% in the third quarter.
It also anticipates a narrower 2026 expense outlook, with the lower end potentially rising by $10 billion to $175 billion because of the settlement charge.
Bank of America expects Meta to narrow its 2026 capital expenditure guidance to between $140 billion and $145 billion, reflecting spending on data centres and other AI infrastructure.
The bank has also raised its estimate for Meta’s 2027 capital expenditure to $205 billion, highlighting the scale of investment required to support its AI ambitions.
Investors will be seeking evidence that AI is improving advertising performance and creating new revenue opportunities, alongside signs that Meta can make its infrastructure more efficient.
Bank of America identifies adoption of Meta’s Muse AI technology, enterprise demand and the company’s large language model strategy as key areas to watch during the results call.
The bank argues that stronger AI execution could support revenue optimism and expand Meta’s valuation multiple, although elevated investment could weigh on earnings per share in 2027.
Risks include a weaker fourth-quarter outlook, slower adoption of new AI products and signs that capital expenditure and operating expenses will rise further next year.
Bank of America remains positive about Meta’s longer-term prospects, viewing its AI development as a potential driver of advertising growth and future valuation gains.
Social-media and AI developer Meta Platforms (META) expanded access to its AI technology with Muse Spark Open, while shares traded at $730.445, down approximate
Meta is pouring over $130 billion into AI infrastructure while free cash flow craters and legal bills pile up, yet analyst sentiment sits near its most bullish in years. Here is what a steady monthly stake could turn into if…
Instead of trying to time Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction), you could put $1,000 into the stock every month for the next five years. Meta shares traded at $744.34 in early trading today. That’s up 3.57% on the session and 13.95% over the past month.
The forward look matters because Meta is spending heavily on AI right now, and the next five years will show whether that spending pays off.
Your $60,000 Could Grow to About $86,252 in the Base Case
Over five years, $1,000 a month adds up to $60,000 invested. Our base-case model has Meta compounding at 14.49% a year. At that rate, the monthly plan could be worth about $86,251.91 in five years, meaning you’d earn 43.75% on the money you put in.
That figure rests on a five-year base-case share price target of $1,413.93. That’s a 96.74% gain from the model’s initial price of $718.67.
A monthly plan makes less than that headline gain because the money goes in gradually: your last few deposits have only weeks to grow. The stake figures assume each $1,000 is invested at the start of the month and grows steadily at the model’s annualized rate in each scenario. They leave out dividends, taxes and fees.
Bull, Base and Bear: What Your Monthly Plan Could Become
Scenario
5-Year Price Target
Stock Total Return
Annualized Return
Ending Value of $1,000/Month
Return on $60,000 Invested
Bull
$1,701.59
136.77%
18.81%
$95,886.08
59.81%
Base
$1,413.93
96.74%
14.49%
$86,251.91
43.75%
Bear
$940.84
30.91%
5.54%
$69,021.40
15.04%
The model rates its confidence at 0.9, a high reading. Over the next 12 months, its base-case target is $905.42, with a range of $774.02 in the bear case to $1,040.03 on the bullish side.
Wall Street’s consensus target is $799. Analyst ratings lean strongly bullish: 8 Strong Buy, 47 Buy, 7 Hold and 1 Sell.
Three Engines Behind the Upside
AI Is Lifting the Ad Machine
Second-quarter revenue reached $60.80 billion, up 27.96% year over year and above the $60.29 billion consensus. Meta grew on both volume and price: ad impressions rose 14% and the average price per ad climbed 12%.
Its Advantage Plus automated ad tools have passed $75 billion in annual revenue run rate. On the earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg said “We are now at a point where our investments in AI are accelerating every major part of our core business.”
New Revenue Streams Are Emerging
More than 1 million businesses use Meta’s AI business agents every week to talk to customers or close sales. Family of Apps other revenue exceeded $1 billion in a quarter for the first time, growing 73% on the back of WhatsApp paid messaging and subscriptions. Meta also launched its MetaOne subscription and a model API, both of which add income that doesn’t depend on ads.
Scale and Profitability
Meta reaches 3.60 billion daily active people across its apps. It also runs at an 82% gross margin with a 30.24% return on equity. Management expects 2026 operating income to exceed 2025 levels.
What Could Sink Your Monthly Plan
The spending bill is huge. Meta’s guidance calls for 2026 capital expenditures of $130 billion to $145 billion, the kind of AI infrastructure outlay that keeps the picks-and-shovels suppliers busy (we rounded up seven of them, from power to cooling, which you can read here: 7 Stocks Powering the AI Boom).
That pressure is already visible: second-quarter free cash flow fell to $784 million from $8.55B a year earlier. Diluted EPS of $6.18 missed the $7.2214 consensus by 14.42%, and operating margin contracted to 31% from 43%. Legal charges of $2.40 billion and severance costs of $1.18 billion drove much of that miss.
Management has noted several youth-related U.S. trials that could lead to material losses. In Europe, regulators are pushing back on Meta’s Less Personalized Ads offering.
Reality Labs lost $19.2B in fiscal 2025, and Meta still gets nearly all of its revenue from advertising, so a recession would hit it directly. The model’s bear case still ends with a gain, but real-world results can fall below every projected scenario, including a loss on the money you invest.
Where Your $1,000 a Month Could Land
Under the model’s scenarios, $1,000 a month in Meta for five years grows to between $69,021.40 and $95,886.08, with the central scenario at $86,251.91 on $60,000 invested.
Investing monthly spreads your purchase prices across the stock’s swings, but it can’t guarantee a gain. Track the stock around each earnings report for progress on capex returns, margins and legal results. These figures are estimates, not investment advice.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
In its upcoming report, Meta Platforms (META - Free Report) is predicted by Wall Street analysts to post quarterly earnings of $6.67 per share, reflecting a decline of 8% compared to the same period last year. Revenues are forecasted to be $63.18 billion, representing a year-over-year increase of 23.3%.
The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1.5% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This reflects how the analysts covering the stock have collectively reevaluated their initial estimates during this timeframe.
Before a company announces its earnings, it is essential to take into account any changes made to earnings estimates. This is a valuable factor in predicting the potential reactions of investors toward the stock. Empirical research has consistently shown a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and the short-term price performance of a stock.
While it's common for investors to rely on consensus earnings and revenue estimates for assessing how the business may have performed during the quarter, exploring analysts' forecasts for key metrics can yield valuable insights.
In light of this perspective, let's dive into the average estimates of certain Meta Platforms metrics that are commonly tracked and forecasted by Wall Street analysts.
Based on the collective assessment of analysts, 'Revenue- Advertising' should arrive at $61.81 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +23.4%.
Analysts predict that the 'Revenue- Other' will reach $1.13 billion. The estimate points to a change of +63.3% from the year-ago quarter.
The consensus estimate for 'Revenue- Family of Apps (FoA)' stands at $62.87 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +23.8%.
It is projected by analysts that the 'Revenue- Reality Labs' will reach $454.08 million. The estimate points to a change of -3.4% from the year-ago quarter.
Analysts expect 'Advertising Revenue- US & Canada' to come in at $27.64 billion. The estimate points to a change of +29.6% from the year-ago quarter.
Analysts' assessment points toward 'Geographical Revenue by User- US & Canada' reaching $28.05 billion. The estimate indicates a change of +28.9% from the prior-year quarter.
The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Geographical Revenue by User- Asia-Pacific' of $12.57 billion. The estimate indicates a change of +22.4% from the prior-year quarter.
According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Advertising Revenue- Rest of the World' should come in at $8.30 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +24.7%.
The average prediction of analysts places 'Geographical Revenue by User- Rest of World' at $8.80 billion. The estimate points to a change of +26.6% from the year-ago quarter.
The consensus among analysts is that 'Advertising Revenue- Europe' will reach $14.81 billion. The estimate indicates a change of +22.7% from the prior-year quarter.
The combined assessment of analysts suggests that 'Headcount' will likely reach 69,873 . The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 78,450 .
Analysts forecast 'Family daily active people (DAP)' to reach $3.65 billion. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported $3.54 billion in the same quarter of the previous year.
View all Key Company Metrics for Meta Platforms here>>>
Over the past month, shares of Meta Platforms have returned +8% versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.4% change. Currently, META carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), suggesting that its performance may align with the overall market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .
Mark Zuckerberg publicly thanked an Apple executive by name, ending years of bitter silence between the two tech giants. What the two companies quietly built together could reshape where serious AI work actually runs.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) CEO Mark Zuckerberg rarely thanks Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) publicly, but on October 15, 2026, he did by name. He posted on X that Muse Spark Open, with weights released that day, “runs great on new Mac Studios thanks to work with @johnternus and Apple.”
Meta released the model as open weights, meaning anyone can download the trained files and run them. Meta said it worked with Apple so developers can run it on two to four linked Mac Studios with the M5 Ultra chip. It is the first public partnership between the two since around 2017, after years of friction that included Apple’s 2021 privacy changes, which hurt Meta’s ad business.
Both stocks moved little. Apple fell 0.28% to $342.00, leaving its market value at $4.99 trillion, just under the $5 trillion mark it first closed above a day earlier, while Meta slipped 0.11% to $736.72.
What Meta and Apple Committed To
Apple CEO John Ternus replied: “Congrats to the team! Amazing to run a model of Muse Spark Open’s caliber and scale this efficiently, right from your desk. Mac Studio keeps pushing the boundaries of on-device AI!”
Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang said the companies worked together for months. He said former Apple executive Daniel Gross, now at Meta, played a key role, and Apple is tuning the model through MLX, its framework for running AI on Apple chips.
The companies disclosed no financial terms, exclusivity, or duration. Both declined to say whether the work points to a broader relationship.
What Apple Gets From a Desktop Model
Meta describes Muse Spark Open as a sparse mixture-of-experts model with 816 billion total parameters, activating roughly 42 billion per token. Only a piece of the model works on each word, and that is why it fits on desktop hardware.
The work supports Apple’s on-device AI pitch, but the market for it is small. Apple prices a Mac Studio with M5 Ultra and 256GB of memory from $10,799, and multi-machine setups cost more, which makes this a niche for developers and professionals set against fiscal 2025 revenue of $416.16 billion.
Open weights are how Meta releases its models. Every developer who builds on Muse Spark Open broadens the ecosystem around them, and Meta pays none of the computing bill.
Running agents locally also helps with security and cost, because sensitive data stays on the machine and nobody rents a cloud server by the hour. If more agent work moves to desktops, demand for cloud data centers could soften slightly.
Wang said this is not Meta’s most capable model. Open weights also run on other hardware, and with no exclusivity disclosed, competing machines can host the same files.
The warming in relations matters more. Months of joint work and the Gross connection point to a working relationship, although whether it reaches Siri, ads, or glasses is still an open question.
What Valuation and Risks Mean for Meta Investors
Valuation separates the two companies. Meta trades at a lower multiple of earnings than Apple, so Apple’s price already assumes a lot of AI success that a $10,799 workstation will not deliver.
Meta carries real risks. Second-quarter diluted EPS of $6.18 missed the $7.22 estimate, and free cash flow fell to $784 million as capital spending reached $30.12 billion.
Meta still has more to gain from reaching developers, though, because its model ecosystem is young and its $1.88 trillion market value leaves more room to grow than Apple’s.
Meta’s third-quarter report will test this. If revenue lands inside the $61 billion to $64 billion guidance and management describes more work on Apple silicon, the case holds, but if Apple adds no further open models to MLX by then, the collaboration likely remains a one-off.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Meta Platforms (META) grabbed the artificial intelligence spotlight by unveiling an AI chatbot that quickly became a hit among consumers. Meta's Muse — with its cute, fuzzy mascot named Jolly — jumped quickly up the rankings of the most downloaded apps, carrying Meta stock sharply higher along with it.
But that probably won't propel Meta to the lead of the AI race unless it can also grab a chunk of the megatrend's most important market: corporations and other big organizations.
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How AI Agents Are Changing Who Gets Hired At A $1 Billion Company
Eric Chen, CEO of Injective Labs, says AI agents are boosting productivity at his $1 billion tech company by enabling smaller teams to do more work — reshaping hiring, reducing the need for junior roles and fueling growth.
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That's what Meta is clearly gunning for with Meta Enterprise Platform, launched less than three weeks after Muse.
It's a tough market to break into as Meta faces entrenched competitors, including Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet's Google (GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT), Salesforce (CRM) and Oracle (ORCL). But with top AI labs OpenAI and Anthropic making a big push to capture enterprise spending, Meta does not appear content to wait on the sidelines.
The stakes are high for Meta and its stockholders. "Bottom line, they want to compete with the frontier labs," Mizuho analyst Lloyd Walmsley told Investor's Business Daily. "They want to have a model that competes head-to-head and they want to compete for this business."
And the world of business is where the money is in the AI race. "Enterprises are actually parting with dollars to use AI, and consumers are much slower to make this jump," Morningstar analyst Malik Ahmed Khan told IBD.
Meta Stock: Killer Use Cases
Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's new enterprise plan could help the company generate returns from the hundreds of billions of dollars it is spending to develop AI models. The company touted its most recent model — Muse Wonder, introduced Monday — as its most powerful yet.
"Traditionally, Meta hasn't been an enterprise company, but we believe that a huge part of the challenge is building the leading models in the first place," Zuckerberg said in an Oct. 12 episode of the "Cheeky Pint" podcast.
He believes "a lot of enterprises" will want to use Muse Wonder.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Meta Connect in September. (AP)
Getting enterprises hooked into Meta's AI models could diversify a company that derives nearly all its revenue from social media advertising.
Beyond diversification, the Meta pivot underlines the importance of the enterprise market in the AI race.
Menlo Ventures estimates that consumers will directly spend $40 billion on AI-related services this year. That includes subscriptions and fees based on overall usage. Analysts expect that, similar to social media, revenue from consumer-focused AI will come from advertising sales. Referral fees from e-commerce sales could also drive revenue.
Enterprises, however, are far more likely to pay for AI directly. Analysts at Gartner forecast enterprises will spend $461 billion on AI-powered software this year.
"If you think about killer use cases thus far for AI, including coding, they're mostly geared toward enterprises," Morningstar's Khan said.
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Meta Scores A Hit With Muse
Launched Sept. 8, Muse is built around a chat function with its cuddly avatar, Jolly. Users can rename and even redesign the mascot. From there, Muse can connect with other apps (such as email, Instagram and calendars) and complete automated tasks when given a goal or objective, like "organize my inbox."
The chatbot has been downloaded more than 9 million times in the U.S., according to data from Sensor Tower. It reached that milestone in just a third of the time it took ChatGPT after its late 2022 launch.
The buzz around the app has put Meta stock back in focus on Wall Street, after fears about its AI spending weighed on shares for much of the year. Meta rallied 27% in September, the stock's best month in more than three years.
Muse's early success marks progress toward Zuckerberg's vision of offering "personal superintelligence" to billions of consumers. But Meta took that a step further on Sept. 28 when Zuckerberg unveiled what he called the "next major pillar" of Meta's business.
Meta's Enterprise Game Plan
"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," Zuckerberg wrote on Threads. "Initially, we will focus on bringing our full technology stack, including the Muse agent, Meta Business Agent, Muse API, Muse Code, and more to businesses and developers to help them grow."
CJ Desai, Meta's first chief enterprise platform officer (Meta)
Zuckerberg is throwing down the gauntlet as the quest begins. To lead the effort, he lured Chirantan "CJ" Desai from his CEO post at MongoDB (MDB). Desai has strong enterprise credentials, with prior roles as president of product and engineering at Cloudflare (NET) and chief operating officer at ServiceNow (NOW).
The same week, Meta announced a Muse for Small Business offering designed to allow entrepreneurs to tap into the AI agent's processing power to accomplish goals.
Meta's AI Overhaul
The enterprise push comes as Meta has muscled its way back into the AI arms race. For much of the past three years, the AI large language models produced by Meta have lagged the performance of the frontier AI labs such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.
Zuckerberg last year initiated a drastic overhaul that saw the company spend billions to recruit top researchers.
On Oct. 12, Meta released a new Muse Wonder family of AI models that Zuckerberg said bring Meta "to the frontier." But even before that release, there was evidence that Meta was capitalizing on a new element of the AI race: the harness.
Agents rely on two main layers: the large language model and a so-called harness that essentially hooks that model up to a computer and instructs it on how to complete tasks.
"The model is important and how intelligent it is is important," Willy Lee, a principal at investment firm Neostellar, told IBD. "But how you develop the harness — the instructions and protocols for what the model should do — is almost as important as the model itself."
Muse has caught on with consumers despite not initially offering access to a top AI model. It has just enough AI firepower behind it to handle tasks like canceling underused subscriptions or building a shopping list.
Meta AI Agent Competition
Competition is heating up. Weeks after Meta launched Muse, OpenAI unveiled Dots at its annual developer conference. It has a similar cutesy avatar that is designed to automatically complete tasks based on a user's objectives. While Muse has a free tier that allows users to accomplish most tasks, Dots requires users to have at least the $100-per-month ChatGPT Pro plan.
Meanwhile, Google announced Gemini Agents, which can accomplish tasks across Google Workspace plans and connect with other apps like Slack and Microsoft 365.
Microsoft introduced an updated Copilot AI assistant in late September that combines AI chat, coding tools and autonomous agents into a single product.
Anthropic has not announced a direct competitor to the Muse and Dots personal assistants. However, the AI startup recently merged its agentic CoWork tool into the broader Claude chat interface.
Other competitors for personal AI agents include SpaceX's (SPCX) Grok Bot, which the company describes as "AI teammates" in the workplace. Meanwhile, startup Instinct has gained traction among tech power-users for its ability to act as a personal assistant within text messages, personal calendars and emails.
Meta Stock: 97% Of Revenue From Ads
The early success of Muse offers a chance for Meta to find a second significant source of revenue, something that has proved challenging over its two decades in business.
Analysts project Meta's digital advertising business will drive 97% of its $254 billion in 2026 revenue, according to FactSet. With the dominance of its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp offerings, analysts also project Meta will surpass Google as the top digital ad platform by year's end.
But its reliance on a single business, profitable as it may be, makes Meta stand out among its fellow hyperscaler cloud giants. Meta plans up to $145 billion in capital spending this year, focused on constructing data centers. That puts its spending not far behind that of Amazon, Google and Microsoft.
But unlike other hyperscalers, Meta does not rent out its cloud-computing capacity to other enterprises. The chips and servers in its data centers are dedicated to Meta's Family of Apps and its more than 3.5 billion users, as well as its AI efforts.
Amazon, Microsoft and Google have massive businesses renting cloud servers. And from those businesses, they offer a range of hardware and software products. Amazon's cloud business and Google's cloud business are each on track to deliver about one-fifth of their respective company's 2026 revenue, according to analyst projections.
Meanwhile, Meta's most prominent attempt to diversify its revenue — hardware sales from the metaverse — has gained little traction. AI-powered smart glasses and newly introduced subscription fees for Muse and premium Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook features could help diversify Meta's revenue.
But enterprise may prove the clearest opportunity.
Meta Stock: Sizing Up The Opportunity
Analysts will be looking for further details on Zuckerberg's vision when the company reports earnings on Oct. 21.
Wall Street is bullish on Muse's growth potential overall. In a recent client note, Truist analyst Youssef Squali forecast that Muse could drive $28.5 billion in annual revenue by 2030, with enterprise-related revenue contributing $5.2 billion of that projected spending. That includes revenue from developers building projects through the Muse API.
Squali sees Muse subscriptions driving $10.7 billion in revenue by 2030 and advertising and commerce transaction fees reaching $12.7 billion.
Pivotal Research Group analyst Jeffrey Wlodarczak expects Meta's enterprise business will see a "slow ramp" as it builds up trust, he wrote in a recent note for clients. But he forecasts Meta's enterprise revenue could reach $11 billion by 2030.
Zuckerberg's enterprise announcement also highlighted the Meta Business Agent, which the company made generally available in June.
The agent acts as AI-powered customer support within WhatsApp, Instagram and the Messenger app. Zuckerberg told analysts earlier this year that the company's paid messaging services had crossed a $2 billion annual revenue run rate by the end of 2025, despite only being offered in certain markets.
Meta Stock: Focus For Enterprise
One big question is whether Meta will focus on big corporations or small and midsize businesses, which make up a big chunk of its biggest advertising buyers.
"They already have a deep relationship with millions of SMBs buying Facebook ads and Instagram ads," Mizuho's Walmsley told IBD. "I think that is viewed as a more natural entry to selling cloudlike services or AI compute."
But Zuckerberg recruiting Desai from MongoDB suggests Meta has ambition "far beyond the SMB side," Walmsley noted.
Yet he does not expect Meta to aim to build a business as broad as Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud. Rather, the focus will likely be on offering intelligence-driven services similar to those of Anthropic and OpenAI.
"Selling access to their models, the API business, Muse Code — that is the sort of thing that could scale very quickly without having all the traditional trappings of an enterprise tech company," Walmsley said.
Meta's Previous Enterprise Attempts
Meta tried to enter the enterprise market before. In 2016, the company launched Workplace, a Facebook-like messaging and file-sharing platform focused on businesses. But Meta shut that business down with little fanfare in 2024.
Forrester analyst Naveen Chhabra said it takes time to build credibility among enterprise buyers. Amazon Web Services was founded 24 years ago. Google Cloud is 18 years old.
"A social media platform can have a much faster adoption curve," Chhabra told IBD. "As a consumer, I don't have much investment in adopting a platform. When it comes to enterprise adoption, it has to go through several facets internally."
Google had to steadily build up its range of services to address what enterprise buyers need.
"It takes a lot of preparation to be ready to sell to those audiences," Chhabra added. "Not to say it can't be done, but it cannot be an overnight success."
Trust is also key. This could be a challenge for Meta given scandals over its data practices, including the 2016 Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Performance Of Software Stocks
Still, Meta's enterprise push rattled the enterprise software world.
Software stocks, led by MongoDB, took a hit after Zuckerberg announced his enterprise vision in late September. The reaction brought flashbacks to the fears about AI's impact on software that dominated earlier this year.
But Neostellar's Lee said the broader conversation has shifted from fears that "large language models are going to eat the entire world" to a focus on the "haves and have-nots" of the software sector.
Companies with years of enterprise data and deep integrations into operating systems have a "right to win" in providing the new harness layer for AI systems, he added.
After opening the year on a 30% slide, the software-dominated iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) has bounced back to a 5% year-to-date gain.
IBD's Computer-Software Enterprise stock group now ranks sixth out of 142 industries, based on six-month price performance. The massive 115-stock group includes a number of stocks with Relative Strength Ratings above 95, putting them in the top 5% of stocks based on performance in the last 12 months. They include Twilio (TWLO), Snowflake (SNOW) and Cloudflare.
Meta Stock: Earnings Preview
Meta will release its third-quarter results on Wednesday. Analysts polled by FactSet project that Meta's earnings will come in at $6.67 per share, a huge jump from the $1.05 per share Meta posted in the September quarter last year. However, earnings would have been $7.25 per share in Q3 2025 without a large one-time tax charge.
While Meta is historically a strong earnings performer, its big AI spending has weighed on its finances. Earnings declined 13% for Meta in Q2. The tech giant has an EPS Rating of 83 out of 99. IBD's EPS Rating takes into account the growth and stability of a company's earnings over three years, with extra weighting for the most recent two quarters.
Analysts project Meta's revenue will grow 23.6% to $63.3 billion, according to FactSet. That would mark a deceleration from the 28% growth Meta attained in Q2 and 33% in Q1.
Meta Stock Technical Analysis
While the quick adoption of Meta's Muse AI assistant app powered a huge stock-price gain last month, Meta then pulled back 4% over the first two weeks of October. However, shares rallied following the rollout of Muse Wonder on Oct. 12. They currently trade near 736.
After falling 3% Wednesday, Meta stock appears to be finding support at its 21-day moving average in Thursday's trades. Shares have a Relative Strength Rating of 80, up from 60 four weeks ago.
Further, Meta stock is in a massive 60-week consolidation pattern, as identified by IBD MarketSurge. Meta shares are chasing a record high of 796.23 reached in August 2025, which also serves as a buy point from the consolidation base.
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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DataDome, the leader in bot and agent trust management, today released The AI Traffic Report Q3 2026, an analysis of AI agent traffic across DataDome's network from July through September 2026. The report finds that AI agent traffic grew 41.5% QoQ, with agentic browsers driving the latest surge, and Meta's Muse emerging as a new kind of undeclared, cloud-hosted agent. Nearly half of all AI agent traffic this year arrived in the last three months, and agentic browser r.
