Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

After unveiling its latest artificial intelligence (AI) model, Muse Wonder, Meta Platforms' (NASDAQ: META) stock benefited both from investor enthusiasm and from a list of new and universally bullish Wall Street price target revisions.

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Zuckerberg said that in late 2025, Meta weighed a $200 billion AI bet before seeing its new models. Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images Mark Zuckerberg was ready to bet as much as $200 billion on AI, and Meta’s finance chief wanted the person building it to understand what failure would mean.

On the Cheeky Pint podcast released on Monday, Meta CEO and Alexandr Wang, Meta's chief AI officer, recounted conversations from late last year about enormous investments before Meta’s new models had proven themselves.

“At the end of last year, we're like, all right, we are quite excited about the progress. We haven't seen the models yet,” Zuckerberg told show host John Collison.

“I'm going to, like, you know, we're going to write this check for, like, I don't know, like $100 billion, $200 billion. I'm like, 'Alex, are you sure this is going to work?'” Zuckerberg said of Wang.

Zuckerberg did not specify the timeframe or exact scope of that contemplated commitment.

What are the real-life consequences of AI?

Wang said he had encouraging research updates at that point, but success was far from certain. At an executive gathering in Hawaii, Wang said that CFO Susan Li repeatedly pulled him aside.

“Susan pulled me aside many times and was like, 'You know, I just want to tell you, if this doesn't work, like, you know, this is going to be really, really bad. It's going to be very, very bad in financial terms.'” Wang said of Li.

Meta's capex over the past few quarters has been substantial, raising eyebrows among investors. Meta’s latest guidance puts 2026 capital expenditures, including finance lease principal payments, at $130 billion to $145 billion. In forecasts previously seen by Business Insider, Cantor Fitzgerald analysts expect the spending to reach $200 billion in 2027.

Investors have shown limits. Meta shares fell more than 6% in after-hours trading following April’s earnings report, despite strong results, after the company raised its annual spending forecast to $125 billion to $145 billion.

Inside Meta, the leadership is well aware of the stakes. In Wang's words, "this is a fuck ton of risk.”

"So I think that in order for it not to work out, it's not just that we have to fail, AI overall has to fail," Zuckerberg said. "And then even if that happens, we still have all these other uses to productively use compute."

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Katherine Li You're currently following this author! Click to unsubscribe from email alerts.

Katherine Li is a reporter on Business Insider's West Coast business news team. She covers career,  the future of work, and how AI is changing hiring practices and workplace trends.Previously, she was a newsroom fellow who wrote international breaking news and produced newsletters for Semafor. Before that, she wrote about climate policies for The Lever, covered the AAPI community for the SF Chronicle as a freelancer, and wrote about the 2019 Hong Kong protests as an intern for The New York Times.She is an alumna of the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley and a graduate of the international journalism program at Hong Kong Baptist University with minors in French and English literature.  Email Katherine at [email protected] and follow her on Bluesky @katherineli.bsky.social. 

Meta Mark Zuckerberg Big Tech More Stock Market Stocks Artificial Intelligence

Meta Platforms, parent company of Facebook, has released a long-awaited artificial intelligence model called Muse Wonder. This model is said to be competitive with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude.

Meta says it's launching the biggest and best AI models it has ever built By You're currently following this author! Click to unsubscribe from email alerts.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Meta has launched a new series of AI models, Muse Wonder, that it says has caught up to labs like Anthropic and OpenAI.

"Muse Wonder is a much larger and more advanced class of models that brings us to the frontier," CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on X on Monday.

It’s the latest sign that Meta’s big bet on AI — which has raised questions from investors — is paying off after the launch of its personal AI assistant, Muse. Meta is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI, prompting some investor doubts earlier this year.

The Wonder series comes in two versions: Muse Wonder, a smaller, fast model Meta expects people to use for daily work, and Wonder Full, a larger and more capable version, the company said in a statement.

Meta built its new AI models to complete complex multi-step tasks, such as disputing an insurance claim. To handle that, the AIs have features such as memory and the ability to try alternative approaches.

What are the real-life consequences of AI?

The Muse Wonder series was internally codenamed Watermelon, according to a person familiar with the matter.

In July, Business Insider reported that Meta AI chief Alexandr Wang had told staff that Watermelon had caught up to OpenAI.

"Watermelon uses an order of magnitude more compute than Avocado," he said at the time, referring to Meta's codename for Muse Spark, a prior family of models.

In the lead-up to Muse Wonder's launch, Zuckerberg and other Meta employees teased the release with watermelon-themed posts:

Have a tip? Contact this reporter securely on Signal at charlesrollet.12 or +1-628-282-2811. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

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Charles Rollet You're currently following this author! Click to unsubscribe from email alerts.

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.

Meta AI Mark Zuckerberg More Generative AI Big Tech

Meta's Muse AI agent has become the main driver of Meta's stock, says Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi. He walks through usage data showing Muse has racked up strong downloads but loses many users soon after, even as it retains more of them than Grok and Threads.

The company's stock was up more than 3% following the release of Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, which analysts expect to drive new business opportunities.

, /PRNewswire/ -- Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) announced today that the company's third quarter 2026 financial results will be released after market close on Wednesday, October 21st, 2026.

Meta will host a conference call to discuss its results at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET the same day. The live webcast of the call can be accessed at the Meta Investor Relations website at investor.atmeta.com, along with the company's earnings press release, financial tables, and slide presentation.

Following the call, a replay will be available at the same website. Transcripts of conference calls with publishing equity research analysts held on October 21st, 2026 will also be posted to the investor.atmeta.com website.

Disclosure Information 
Meta uses the investor.atmeta.com and meta.com/news websites as well as Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook profile (facebook.com/zuck), Instagram account (instagram.com/zuck) and Threads profile (threads.net/zuck) as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

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

Contacts 

Investors:
Rob Bevegni
[email protected] / investor.atmeta.com 

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

SOURCE Meta

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Meta debuted its latest artificial intelligence model, Muse Wonder, and says it's the most advanced option for powering digital assistants. But it doesn't come for free.

To access the model, users of the Muse personal agent app will need to sign up for a monthly subscription of $20 or $100. The release underscores Meta's efforts to create new AI-derived revenue sources outside of its core online ad business.   

Meta AI chief Alexandr Wang said in an interview on Monday that the company developed Muse Wonder, codenamed Watermelon, to improve the capabilities of "personal and professional agents" so they don't stumble on tasks like booking dinner reservations and checking for availabilities.

"When you do real-world tasks, you're going to get roadblocks and you're going to get things that come up or various setbacks," Wang said. "We specifically tried to train the model to be able to try other approaches instead of stalling and then checking back in with the user at any time."

Meta said in a blog post that the latest model "offers our strongest safeguards to date" against "cyber misuse." Those protections only come with the paid model for now.

Muse shot up to the top of Apple's App Store after Meta introduced the AI agent app last month. The app is free, with subscription plans available for more usage.

Wang said Meta's AI team has been monitoring for agent-related "incidents or issues" with Muse in order to understand problems and resolve them. Some users have complained on social media that the agent accessed personal messages without authorization, which the company has disputed.    

Meta is trying to better inform people of how to use the app to avoid certain problems, Wang said.

"I think there are certainly instances users have authorized various communications or whatnot earlier in a conversation, and then may have forgotten about that," Wang said. He added that the company is educating users on such matters "to ensure that consumers can trust the product going forward."

Muse Wonder will also be available to coders who pay to access the company's related Meta Model API. Wang said that offering will cost more than the standard subscriptions because it is a "much larger model and at frontier level." He said it will still be priced "meaningfully below" leading models from OpenAI and Anthropic.

An even more powerful variant of Meta's latest model, dubbed Muse Wonder Full, will only be available to developers who sign up to the company's software engineering focused Muse Code AI agent under a $50 or $200 a month subscription plan.

WATCH: Meta partners with companies to set standards for doing business with AI bots.

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Meta Platforms META shares rose more than 4% on Monday after the company launched two new artificial intelligence models, ending a four-session losing streak even as the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined. Meta shares were trading at $749 at the time of writing, up around 4.3% from Friday's close.

Meta’s Superintelligence Lab released a pair of new state-of-the-art models on Monday, Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, representing the company’s first attempt at a frontier model.

Where Muse Spark aimed to be a lightweight model that could perform at low latency, the Wonder models are larger and said to be more capable, with higher benchmark scores and better results on complex tasks like coding.

According to Meta’s testing (presented in the model card), Wonder and Wonder Full achieve comparable benchmark scores to Fable 5.1 and GPT-6 Astra.

“Together, they mark the next step on our scaling ladder and a major leap toward personal superintelligence,” Meta’s blog post about the models reads.

That scale is reflected in the pricing: Accessed through the Meta Model API, Wonder will cost $4.00 per million input tokens and $20.00 per million output tokens, making it roughly equivalent in cost to GPT-6 Sol or Opus 5.5.

Notably, Wonder Full will only be available to Muse Code subscribers, and will not be served through the API. Both models will also be used to power the Muse agent.

In keeping with Meta’s interest in developing personal assistants that can perform tasks over a long period, the company placed particular emphasis on the new models’ ability to retain and synthesize information given by the user, a property Meta calls “active memory.”

To achieve better recall, Meta highlighted the MemoryBench benchmark, which challenges continual learning and memory construction frameworks. According to the company’s testing, Muse Wonder now scores higher on MemoryBench than Fable, Opus or Astra.

“We put a tremendous amount of effort into making sure your model can remember what’s important to you over days, weeks, months and beyond,” said research scientist Kavya Kopparapu in a video accompanying the launch.

The new models are the first frontier model release since Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang restructured Meta’s AI efforts in August of last year. Since then, Meta has released its lightweight Muse Spark model and Muse agent, but has avoided the kind of state-of-the-art model releases OpenAI and Anthropic are known for.

According to the post, the models were trained at Meta’s Prometheus data center in central Ohio, which came online earlier this year.

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Russell Brandom has been covering the tech industry since 2012, with a focus on platform policy and emerging technologies. He previously worked at The Verge and Rest of World, and has written for Wired, The Awl and MIT’s Technology Review. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at 412-401-5489.

Holy Tacos and other businesses are opening in Richland Parish as Meta builds its data center. Tim Allen The construction workers building Meta's largest-ever data center are arriving in a tiny Louisiana town with more than specialized skills and manpower. They've also got cash to spend.

It's a fact that local entrepreneurs are leveraging to build new businesses.

"It's been a good opportunity for everybody," David Rodgers, the cofounder of Ice Queen, a local business, told Business Insider. "I tell people, you can't stop it unless you have $50 billion. You might as well get on board and go with the flow."

Meta is building its largest data center to date, Hyperion, in Louisiana's Richland Parish.  USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Meta said the data center, dubbed Hyperion, will span nearly 10 million square feet in rural Holly Ridge and will support more than 7,500 jobs at peak construction.

That's a workforce larger than the population of Aspen, Colorado.

While the influx of workers is straining the local housing market and disrupting aspects of daily life, their presence has also boosted the region's economy.

Spinning straw into goldHolly Ridge is a very small sliver of the nearly 19,600 residents in Richland Parish, where agriculture has been the main industry for decades. Before Meta arrived, the smattering of towns, villages, and unincorporated areas that make up Richland Parish hadn't seen significant economic growth in years.

Tim Allen, a Richland Parish restaurant owner, lived through that stagnation in the nearby town of Rayville.

"Rayville has been a small community my whole life, and it's been in decline over the last several years. We have a lot of people whose children are moving out, and they usually don't come back," Allen said. "Growing up, downtown Rayville had multiple businesses, hardware stores, and clothing stores. One by one, they shut down until only a couple of stores were left."

When Meta announced its project in 2024, Allen and his family were among those who saw an opportunity to turn things around.

Holy Tacos in Rayville, Louisiana, opened its doors in April 2025.  Tim Allen "Since Meta's announcement, we've seen old businesses revitalize and new ones open, including ours," Allen said. Holy Tacos opened in April 2025.

TJ and Kaycie Weed, also based in Rayville, said the new demographic created by Meta's project has boosted their sales. They first opened their café, HeBrews Coffee & Eats, near the end of 2021.

"When we first started, we thought 30 tickets was a good day," TJ said. "Now, we're hitting 30 tickets before the first hour and a half through the drive-thru alone. We're probably hitting 130 tickets now."

The café in Rayville is a brick-and-mortar, but the couple has two franchise locations, including a food truck that opened in 2025 directly across the street from the construction site in Holly Ridge. They said the Holly Ridge location opened specifically because of Meta.

"Holly Ridge does most of the catering. If it's any of the businesses under the umbrella of Meta, I send it to Holly Ridge," TJ said.

TJ and Kaycie Weed of Rayville, Louisiana, opened HeBrews Coffee & Eats in 2021.  TJ and Kaycie Weed The wave of construction workers inspired Rodgers and his former business partner, Linda Edwards, to cofound Ice Queen in 2025. The business sells $3 bags of ice to subcontractors and companies working on the Meta project.

The parish has weathered several heat waves this summer, making ice a necessity for outdoor trade workers. Since July, residents have seen temperatures reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit more than two dozen times. The pair keeps the ice bags in a large tractor-trailer parked near the construction site and has a separate ice truck available to make deliveries.

Ice was only the beginning, though, and soon Ice Queen transformed into a one-stop shop of sorts for the work crews. Coffee machines. Cups. Sugar packets. Fridges. Microwaves. Straws. You name it, Ice Queen tries to supply it.

Robert Cleveland, president and CEO of the local economic development authority, Grow NELA, said the economic growth happening in Richland Parish is undeniable.

Data collected by Grow NELA shows that Richland Parish's annual sales tax revenue jumped from $21 million in 2024 to $39 million in 2025. At the end of 2026, Grow NELA expects the parish will see $92 million in annual sales tax revenue. Richland Parish has gained more annual sales tax revenue in 2025 alone than in the last 20 years combined, Grow NELA says.

"We have a number of small businesses that have propped up and have grown significantly because of the project," Cleveland said.

Supply and demandPart of the business growth in Richland Parish is supplying construction workers with what they need while they are away from home: lodging, food, and basic necessities.

Angel and Bryan Crawford, for example, chose to address the housing market gap with their rental company, Parish Line Properties. The couple owns a mobile home park called Antley Pines that opened in 2025.

Angel and Bryan Crawford built the Antley Pines mobile home park in Delhi, Louisiana.  Angel Crawford "We added two homes last December, four this May, and our last four in July. All the homes were secured by deposits from Meta workers before we even got them into the park," Angel said.

A fully-furnished four-bedroom, two-bathroom mobile home that's eight miles from the construction site costs an average of $3,000.

The couple previously worked in the nursing field, but decided to dive into real estate and property management after becoming empty nesters.

"In 2024, we started buying older houses that had been on the market for a long time or needed a lot of work. We had a vision to create a mobile home park and already purchased some land when we heard about Meta's data center," Angel said.

The Crawfords own Antley Pines through their rental company, Parish Line Properties.  Business Insider The company now owns 18 rental properties, 14 of which the owners have set aside as workforce housing.

"Location is very important to Meta's workers because they work six to seven days a week and 12-plus hours a day. They leave around 4:30 in the morning, and they don't come home until 7 at night," she said.

Those long days can be taxing, making places like HeBrews Coffee & Eats popular with workers.

Shelbie Stephenson, owner of the Holly Ridge location, said they deliver 450 lunch plates to the Meta work site twice a month. Stephenson said they also do breakfast and coffee catering several times a month.

This HeBrews Coffee & Eats location sits across the street from Meta's construction site.  Lauren Edmonds/Business Insider "We have done 900 burritos and 2,500 cups of coffee during safety week," she said.

Stephenson said the crews tend to order breakfast burritos, muffins, and scones in the morning. For lunch, they typically purchase pulled pork nachos, steak bites with peppers over rice, chicken bits over rice, or a sandwich.

Holy Tacos also fulfills lunch catering orders for workers on Meta's project, in addition to serving at its brick-and-mortar location.

"We've been out to the man camps, which are the temporary housing for construction workers, took our mobile setup, and cooked for them," Allen said.

He said the crews will order from catering from Holy Tacos between one and four times a month.

"Catering costs anywhere from $4,000 to $7,000, depending on the size," Allen said. "We have a good local following, but when you add the catering, probably 40% of our monthly business is directly related to Meta."

Linda Edwards and David Rodgers created Ice Queen in 2025.  David Rodgers Staying hydrated is also a must in northeast Louisiana, where a series of heatwaves blanketed the region this summer.

"Pallets of water are where we make most of our money because it's a safety issue out here. The heat and all that," Rodgers, the owner of Ice Queen, said. "I buy truckloads of water and deliver probably 30 to 40 pallets of water a week to these guys."

Ice Queen sells a pallet of water for about $600. Liquid I.V., an electrolyte drink that helps with hydration, costs just over a $1 per pouch and is another notable product.

"The Liquid I.V.'s were one of the most important products because the guys would get so dehydrated," Edwards, a real estate agent with John Rea Realty, said. "They had never, ever encountered the humidity and the heat. It probably got up to 110 degrees out there."

Future plansIn June, a study commissioned by Grow NELA said that consumer spending and capital investments made during the data center's construction period will generate $162.9 million in sales tax revenues at the local and state levels.

While Meta has temporarily transformed Richland Parish into a modern-day boomtown, most of the construction workers will eventually move on to other jobs, taking their spending with them.

It's a reality that business owners in Richland Parish know is on the horizon.

Allen said Holy Tacos would likely continue catering for other businesses in the area and selling out of their restaurant. TJ and Kaycie said HeBrews Coffee & Eats will lean on the clientele it built before Meta arrived. The Crawfords said they are considering either selling the properties or continuing to rent them after construction ends. Ice Queen has diversified and plans to rely on other large-scale clients in the area.

Louisiana Economic Development said Meta is expected to work on the Richland Parish site through 2030.

What happens after that is anyone's guess. For now, though, there's money to be made.

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Lauren Edmonds You're currently following this author! Click to unsubscribe from email alerts.

Meta Data Centers AI More Economy Small Business Jobs

Meta Platforms (META -0.31%) is expected to deliver its third-quarter report at the end of the month, and that event could lead to a big drop in the stock. Shares have fallen by 7.95% or more in the trading sessions immediately following three of Meta's last four earnings releases. Those declines have largely been credited to the market's response to Meta's increasing capital expenditures, which have weighed on free cash flow and earnings. Meanwhile, however, its revenue continues to climb quarter after quarter.

That pattern could continue with Meta's next earnings report, and the company's outlook for both capital expenditures and revenue could play a role. That's all due to the success of Meta's newest product: Muse.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Muse is a double-edged sword Muse, an agentic AI app, has rocketed to the top of the app store charts, surpassing 3 million weekly users and 5 million downloads in about three weeks after its launch. With Meta's distribution capabilities and the ability to promote the product to its 3.6 billion daily active users across Instagram, Facebook, and its messaging apps, that number has a lot of room to grow.

Meta offers a generous free tier for Muse as well as a couple of paid tiers for power users. Management expects to eventually generate the bulk of Muse revenue from fees on the transactions its agents facilitate. With that in mind, there are two key things to recognize about this agentic AI. First, it requires a lot of compute power to run. Second, Meta is not yet generating much revenue from running it.

If Muse is the success all the early reports suggest it is, that means Meta will likely increase its data center capital expenditures significantly, and its revenue outlook could disappoint. Analysts had previously grown optimistic about the potential revenues and profits Meta might generate by joining its fellow hyperscalers in renting out excess compute capacity to third parties. Now, Wells Fargo analyst Ken Gawrelski points out that a rapidly growing Muse user base could compel Meta to pause those plans and reserve its compute for its in-house needs.

That could all combine to send the stock lower as investors worry about Meta potentially overbuilding its infrastructure for artificial intelligence.

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Meta requires long-term confidence Gawrelski believes 2027 will be the low point in earnings for Meta as the company will invest even more heavily in AI infrastructure, but high-margin AI revenue won't start accumulating until 2028. He also believes analysts are overestimating Meta's near-term results while underestimating its long-term potential. Likewise, Citi analyst Ronald Josey is modeling for $27 billion in revenue from Muse by 2030, $23 billion stemming from transactions. That would be equal to around 12% of Meta's revenue from the last 12 months.

Few companies are better positioned to benefit from advanced artificial intelligence capabilities than Meta. Agentic and generative AI lower the barriers for small businesses to advertise on its portfolio of apps. CEO Mark Zuckerberg's vision of an AI agent that can start with a business's budget and a goal, and take care of everything else, from designing ads to testing them across Meta's platform, is nearly here.

What's more, generative AI can increase the amount of content on Meta's platforms by enabling users to make more interesting images and videos to share. Large language models are getting better at understanding Meta's users, which means its targeting for both user-generated content and advertisements should improve. Now, it has a popular consumer-facing AI agent.

The effects of Meta's AI investments are already evident in its top-line growth numbers. It's the bottom line and free cash flow that concern most investors. Accelerating depreciation expenses will weigh on its operating income going forward, but strong revenue growth over the long run will outweigh the higher expenses.

While I think it's likely that Meta stock will fall after it reports Q3 earnings this month, I also don't think investors need to wait for a better price. The stock trades at just 23 times forward expected earnings. For a company capable of growing as quickly as Meta is over the next few years, especially with the help of a successful Muse launch, that looks like a great price at which to buy. If the stock does indeed drop after earnings, it'll likely be worth it for patient long-term investors to buy more.

Since launching on Sept. 8, Meta Platforms' (META -0.31%) Muse has quickly become one of the most popular personal artificial intelligence (AI) agent tools on the market. It reached 5 million downloads in the U.S. faster than OpenAI's ChatGPT did after its release in late 2022. Investors are pleased that the Magnificent Seven stock is showing real AI progress.

Here's one reason the Meta Muse AI agent has an upper hand over rivals.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Muse makes money from higher-usage subscription tiers and, eventually, transaction fees. There are no in-app ads. For a business that raked in $59.4 billion in advertising sales in the second quarter (98% of its total), this appears to be a strategic pivot.

But Meta can still make money indirectly from its advertising machine. It can gather data from Muse activity to show relevant ads across its family of apps ecosystem, which has 3.6 billion daily active users.

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A rival personal AI agent from a pure-play AI enterprise, like Instinct, doesn't have a lucrative legacy operation like Meta does. It needs to generate revenue soon, as running agents can incur significant infrastructure costs. So, it might have no choice but to introduce ads within the agent interface.

This move will certainly irritate people who want a clean user experience. And it can push them to Muse, further strengthening Meta's competitive position.

Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 329.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 192,252 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 147,497 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.1% of Artemis Investment Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Artemis Investment Management LLP’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $139,417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The 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 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627 over the last three months. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week: Positive Sentiment: Meta’s growing role in the micro-drama market could create a new advertising revenue stream. Short-form serialized shows are expanding beyond China, and the platform is becoming an important distribution channel for this content. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reportedly set a $1,000 price target, citing AI as a potential catalyst, while TD Cowen reaffirmed its “buy” rating with an $865 target. These targets imply analysts see substantial upside if Meta converts AI investment into higher engagement, advertising and commerce revenue. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse assistant continues to expand, including a new iPad app, and the company is working with Sierra, Shopify, Stripe and Walmart on standards for AI agents to interact with businesses. Successful agentic commerce could eventually provide Meta with transaction-based revenue. Meta’s Muse launches on iPad Neutral Sentiment: President Donald Trump disclosed purchases of as much as $25 million in Meta stock, a headline that may support investor sentiment but does not change the company’s fundamentals. Trump bought up to $25 million in Meta Negative Sentiment: Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked Meta’s Muse agent. Access limitations could delay Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered shopping and other agentic-commerce services. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by websites Negative Sentiment: Florida is pursuing restrictions on Meta’s platforms, including a possible ban for users under 14 and limits on infinite scrolling for teenagers. Such rules could reduce engagement, advertising inventory and the effectiveness of Meta’s core products while increasing legal costs. Meta Stock Falls as Florida challenges infinite scroll Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s substantial AI data-center spending is consuming cash before returns are clear. Commentary also highlights criticism of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s AI strategy and the risk that AI infrastructure becomes a prolonged cash-flow drag. Why AI Infrastructure Is Turning Meta and Amazon Into Cash-Flow Sinks Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.1% Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $720.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.84 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $637.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $619.40.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% 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 anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth META has been the topic of several research reports. HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $920.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $791.86.

View Our Latest Research 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 operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

See Also Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Want Private-Market Access to Kalshi and Polymarket? Try This ETF Levi’s Stock Dip Reveals Value Opportunity Despite Q3 Headwinds PepsiCo Stock Looks Poised to Bottom With High Yield, Deep Value Alphabet’s $1.8 Billion Black Hills Deal Powers AI Data Center Push

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Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 13.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 87,330 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 10,630 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $63,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Watchman Group Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $869,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $564,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tenzing Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $726,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities analysts recently commented on META shares. China Renaissance dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Citic Securities reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, DZ Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $791.86.

Read Our Latest Report on META Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

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

Positive Sentiment: Meta’s growing role in the micro-drama market could create a new advertising revenue stream. Short-form serialized shows are expanding beyond China, and the platform is becoming an important distribution channel for this content. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reportedly set a $1,000 price target, citing AI as a potential catalyst, while TD Cowen reaffirmed its “buy” rating with an $865 target. These targets imply analysts see substantial upside if Meta converts AI investment into higher engagement, advertising and commerce revenue. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse assistant continues to expand, including a new iPad app, and the company is working with Sierra, Shopify, Stripe and Walmart on standards for AI agents to interact with businesses. Successful agentic commerce could eventually provide Meta with transaction-based revenue. Meta’s Muse launches on iPad Neutral Sentiment: President Donald Trump disclosed purchases of as much as $25 million in Meta stock, a headline that may support investor sentiment but does not change the company’s fundamentals. Trump bought up to $25 million in Meta Negative Sentiment: Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked Meta’s Muse agent. Access limitations could delay Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered shopping and other agentic-commerce services. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by websites Negative Sentiment: Florida is pursuing restrictions on Meta’s platforms, including a possible ban for users under 14 and limits on infinite scrolling for teenagers. Such rules could reduce engagement, advertising inventory and the effectiveness of Meta’s core products while increasing legal costs. Meta Stock Falls as Florida challenges infinite scroll Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s substantial AI data-center spending is consuming cash before returns are clear. Commentary also highlights criticism of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s AI strategy and the risk that AI infrastructure becomes a prolonged cash-flow drag. Why AI Infrastructure Is Turning Meta and Amazon Into Cash-Flow Sinks Meta Platforms Price Performance Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $720.89 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $637.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $619.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.84 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.15, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.91%.

About Meta Platforms (Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Want Private-Market Access to Kalshi and Polymarket? Try This ETF Levi’s Stock Dip Reveals Value Opportunity Despite Q3 Headwinds PepsiCo Stock Looks Poised to Bottom With High Yield, Deep Value Alphabet’s $1.8 Billion Black Hills Deal Powers AI Data Center Push 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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Grove Bank & Trust lessened its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 7.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,308 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 803 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $7,475,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of META. Watchman Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,913,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Penney Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the first quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the first quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $869,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the first quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Tenzing Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

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

Positive Sentiment: Meta’s growing role in the micro-drama market could create a new advertising revenue stream. Short-form serialized shows are expanding beyond China, and the platform is becoming an important distribution channel for this content. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reportedly set a $1,000 price target, citing AI as a potential catalyst, while TD Cowen reaffirmed its “buy” rating with an $865 target. These targets imply analysts see substantial upside if Meta converts AI investment into higher engagement, advertising and commerce revenue. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse assistant continues to expand, including a new iPad app, and the company is working with Sierra, Shopify, Stripe and Walmart on standards for AI agents to interact with businesses. Successful agentic commerce could eventually provide Meta with transaction-based revenue. Meta’s Muse launches on iPad Neutral Sentiment: President Donald Trump disclosed purchases of as much as $25 million in Meta stock, a headline that may support investor sentiment but does not change the company’s fundamentals. Trump bought up to $25 million in Meta Negative Sentiment: Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked Meta’s Muse agent. Access limitations could delay Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered shopping and other agentic-commerce services. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by websites Negative Sentiment: Florida is pursuing restrictions on Meta’s platforms, including a possible ban for users under 14 and limits on infinite scrolling for teenagers. Such rules could reduce engagement, advertising inventory and the effectiveness of Meta’s core products while increasing legal costs. Meta Stock Falls as Florida challenges infinite scroll Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s substantial AI data-center spending is consuming cash before returns are clear. Commentary also highlights criticism of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s AI strategy and the risk that AI infrastructure becomes a prolonged cash-flow drag. Why AI Infrastructure Is Turning Meta and Amazon Into Cash-Flow Sinks Wall Street Analyst Weigh In META has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wedbush boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Citic Securities dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. President Capital upgraded 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $791.86. Check Out Our Latest Report on Meta Platforms

Insider Buying and Selling In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $720.89 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.84 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $637.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $619.40. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given 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 payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms Company Profile (Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Want Private-Market Access to Kalshi and Polymarket? Try This ETF Levi’s Stock Dip Reveals Value Opportunity Despite Q3 Headwinds PepsiCo Stock Looks Poised to Bottom With High Yield, Deep Value Alphabet’s $1.8 Billion Black Hills Deal Powers AI Data Center Push Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report).

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

Diversified Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 34.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,692 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 886 shares during the period. Diversified Management Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $1,227,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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

Positive Sentiment: Meta’s growing role in the micro-drama market could create a new advertising revenue stream. Short-form serialized shows are expanding beyond China, and the platform is becoming an important distribution channel for this content. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reportedly set a $1,000 price target, citing AI as a potential catalyst, while TD Cowen reaffirmed its “buy” rating with an $865 target. These targets imply analysts see substantial upside if Meta converts AI investment into higher engagement, advertising and commerce revenue. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse assistant continues to expand, including a new iPad app, and the company is working with Sierra, Shopify, Stripe and Walmart on standards for AI agents to interact with businesses. Successful agentic commerce could eventually provide Meta with transaction-based revenue. Meta’s Muse launches on iPad Neutral Sentiment: President Donald Trump disclosed purchases of as much as $25 million in Meta stock, a headline that may support investor sentiment but does not change the company’s fundamentals. Trump bought up to $25 million in Meta Negative Sentiment: Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked Meta’s Muse agent. Access limitations could delay Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered shopping and other agentic-commerce services. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by websites Negative Sentiment: Florida is pursuing restrictions on Meta’s platforms, including a possible ban for users under 14 and limits on infinite scrolling for teenagers. Such rules could reduce engagement, advertising inventory and the effectiveness of Meta’s core products while increasing legal costs. Meta Stock Falls as Florida challenges infinite scroll Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s substantial AI data-center spending is consuming cash before returns are clear. Commentary also highlights criticism of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s AI strategy and the risk that AI infrastructure becomes a prolonged cash-flow drag. Why AI Infrastructure Is Turning Meta and Amazon Into Cash-Flow Sinks Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.1% META opened at $720.89 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.84 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $637.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $619.40. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year 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. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have recently commented on META shares. China Renaissance cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. 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 note on Thursday, July 30th. President Capital upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $945.00 price target (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $791.86.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on Meta Platforms

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.08, for a total transaction of $688,763.68. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 7,878 shares in the company, valued at $5,735,814.24. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company 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 operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

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GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 63,449 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,458 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for about 1.5% of GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $46,012,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Meta Platforms Stock Performance Shares of META opened at $720.89 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $637.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $619.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $1.84 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. Research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year. Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.91%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.08, for a total value of $688,763.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 7,878 shares in the company, valued at $5,735,814.24. This represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

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

Positive Sentiment: Meta’s growing role in the micro-drama market could create a new advertising revenue stream. Short-form serialized shows are expanding beyond China, and the platform is becoming an important distribution channel for this content. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reportedly set a $1,000 price target, citing AI as a potential catalyst, while TD Cowen reaffirmed its “buy” rating with an $865 target. These targets imply analysts see substantial upside if Meta converts AI investment into higher engagement, advertising and commerce revenue. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse assistant continues to expand, including a new iPad app, and the company is working with Sierra, Shopify, Stripe and Walmart on standards for AI agents to interact with businesses. Successful agentic commerce could eventually provide Meta with transaction-based revenue. Meta’s Muse launches on iPad Neutral Sentiment: President Donald Trump disclosed purchases of as much as $25 million in Meta stock, a headline that may support investor sentiment but does not change the company’s fundamentals. Trump bought up to $25 million in Meta Negative Sentiment: Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked Meta’s Muse agent. Access limitations could delay Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered shopping and other agentic-commerce services. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by websites Negative Sentiment: Florida is pursuing restrictions on Meta’s platforms, including a possible ban for users under 14 and limits on infinite scrolling for teenagers. Such rules could reduce engagement, advertising inventory and the effectiveness of Meta’s core products while increasing legal costs. Meta Stock Falls as Florida challenges infinite scroll Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s substantial AI data-center spending is consuming cash before returns are clear. Commentary also highlights criticism of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s AI strategy and the risk that AI infrastructure becomes a prolonged cash-flow drag. Why AI Infrastructure Is Turning Meta and Amazon Into Cash-Flow Sinks Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades META has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $791.86.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms Profile (Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Want Private-Market Access to Kalshi and Polymarket? Try This ETF Levi’s Stock Dip Reveals Value Opportunity Despite Q3 Headwinds PepsiCo Stock Looks Poised to Bottom With High Yield, Deep Value Alphabet’s $1.8 Billion Black Hills Deal Powers AI Data Center Push

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Meta had delayed releasing Muse, its A.I. agent app, for months over safety concerns.

Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta has banned advertisements by ByteDance, the Chinese parent of TikTok, on its platforms in ​the United States and a handful of other countries, a company spokesperson said ‌on Thursday.

The move marks an escalation in the long-running rivalry between Meta and ByteDance, whose video-sharing app TikTok has emerged as one of Meta’s most formidable competitors for user engagement, creators and advertising dollars.

Meta’s ban ​takes effect immediately in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, and ​extends to third-party advertisers running campaigns that link to TikTok and other ⁠ByteDance properties in those countries, Meta said.

Meta has banned advertisements from TikTok’s parent company ByteDance on Facebook and Instagram in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Askar – stock.adobe.com “We don’t have to run ads from a competitor ​whose goal is to pull people off our apps,” Meta said.

“Declining promotional services to a ​competitor is a normal business practice across industries. We will continue to compete on product quality and user experience.”

TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on Meta’s move.

TikTok’s website shows ​that it does not support links that open or log users into other social media ​apps.

However, users can still add links to their profiles that direct people to those platforms’ websites.

The controversial move comes amid a heated rivalry between Meta and ByteDance as TikTok is seen as one of Meta’s most formidable competitors to draw user engagement, influencers, and advertising money. chathuporn – stock.adobe.com Meta has ‌been urging ⁠TikTok and YouTube to follow steps it agreed to take on teen safety in August following a settlement of up to $18 billion with US states over social media harms to children.

Meta in August agreed to impose daily usage limits and restrict nighttime usage by children who use ​Facebook and Instagram, and ​enhance measures to prevent ⁠children from accessing age-restricted content.

TikTok has not publicly commented on Meta’s campaign, but it reached a settlement with Alabama in September that requires the ​social media platform to impose new usage limits and enhance age-verification ​measures for ⁠users in the state, resolving claims that it endangered children and misled consumers about its safety.

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TikTok operates in the US as a majority American-owned joint venture after a deal aimed at safeguarding US ⁠user data ​and averting a US ban on an app used ​by more than 200 million users in the country.

Bloomberg News first reported Meta’s ban earlier on Thursday.

Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars By and Lucia Moses You're currently following this author! Click to unsubscribe from email alerts.

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has become a huge beneficiary of the micro drama boom by harvesting ad dollars and free content at the same time. Finn Gomez/Getty Images Micro dramas are booming outside the US. They're beginning to see traction stateside too, with lots of startups trying to convince American consumers to pay a few dollars to watch soapy stories on their phones.

But right now, there's one clear winner in the US micro drama industry: Mark Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg's Meta is by far the most popular place for micro drama producers to market their stuff, industry players tell us. Some estimate that startups are directing up to 75% of their marketing budgets to Meta's various properties, in the hopes of getting Facebook or Reels users to come to their sites.

"What I hear consistently from apps is, Meta gets more than half of the customer acquisition spend by most micro drama apps," said Hernan Lopez, founder of research firm Owl & Co. He pegs micro drama ad spending at $1.5 billion globally — excluding China, where the genre started.

But Meta isn't just harvesting ad dollars from the micro drama business. It's also getting tons of free content: Micro dramas advertise themselves by showing users multiple episodes of their shows for free — and sometimes they'll show them many, many episodes. Some micro drama producers, including ReelShort, Flareflow, and ShortMax, have uploaded clips as long as 20 minutes to Meta's ad hub.

So Meta gets the best of both worlds: Micro drama producers give them money and they give Meta engaging videos that keep their audiences on Meta's properties.

Meta declined to comment.

GammaTime, a year-old micro drama company, spends some 55% of its marketing budget on Meta, said cofounder Slava Mudryk. Very long ads are part of the mix when GammaTime launches a series or has a series with a particularly strong story arc within the series, he said.

Mudrykh said these long ads give Meta an advantage over TikTok and YouTube, which don't offer them.

"We always use it with launches," he said. "What we see is that this long sequence just brings people in to watch. And when it's done, the desire to continue watching on the app is strong."

You'd expect that TikTok, which exists solely to show users short clips and whose Chinese roots have made it very familiar with micro dramas, would be a big player in micro drama ads. But people in the industry say Meta's ad infrastructure and targeting abilities make it easier to find viewers and convert them into paying customers.

It also helps that Facebook's aging user base is more likely able and willing to spend money on apps, says Ali Albazaz, whose Inkitt startup runs micro drama app Candy Jar.

"If the story is enticing enough, and grabs the user's attention, that person who comes to our app has a very high likelihood of converting to a paid user."

But that also seems like it will set up a long-term tension between Meta and its new breed of customers: If micro drama players are able to get real traction, that means they'll eventually be pulling eyeballs away from Meta. It's also not a new tension for Meta: A few years ago, when TikTok was entering the market, Meta made billions selling ads promoting the app to its users — and now TikTok is a giant competitor.

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Peter Kafka You're currently following this author! Click to unsubscribe from email alerts.

Peter covers media and technology for Business Insider; previously he has worked at Vox, Recode, AllThingsD, and Forbes. He was also the first hire at Silicon Alley Insider, Business Insider's predecessor. 

Lucia Moses You're currently following this author! Click to unsubscribe from email alerts.

Lucia Moses covers the media and entertainment business, with a focus on how creators build businesses, how media companies intersect with creators, and how marketers adopt entertainment tools. She's broken stories about MrBeast's ambitions, Google's movie initiative, and Netflix's push into podcasts.She previously reported on media and managed teams at Digiday and Adweek.

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Microsoft's containment technology expands Muse beyond mobile devices, but no Windows release date was disclosed. Summary

Windows expands Muse distribution before Meta proves monetization or user trust.

Meta Platforms META, the social-media and personal-AI company, secured another route to users through a planned native Windows app for its Muse personal agent. Shares were roughly flat, at $721.475 at 11.04am EST on October 8. The opportunity is straightforward: put Muse on the desktop, where users already spend time working. Getting them to keep using it is the harder part.

Microsoft's Windows announcement says Muse will integrate with Microsoft Execution Containers, which enforce limits on the files and networks agents can access. That gives Meta a framework for offering an agent that can act while keeping its permissions bounded. But “coming soon” leaves plenty unanswered. The announcement provides no firm launch date, pricing or expected user count. A distribution channel is taking shape; the commercial payoff remains unproven.

The valuation snapshot puts Meta 16.39% below its $862.86 GF Value estimate, suggesting a valuation cushion rather than guaranteed upside. Muse could broaden Meta's reach beyond its social apps, but desktop availability alone will not establish a profitable business. Investors need repeat usage, reliably completed tasks and a credible route to revenue. Permission controls can help build trust. Whether users return—and whether Meta earns money when they do—will determine how much this expansion matters.

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

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Wells Fargo just slapped a four-digit price target on Meta, but the stock has gone nowhere in a year despite 28% revenue growth. Here is what has to happen for the math to actually work.

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Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction | META Price Prediction) now sells intelligence as well as ads. Advertising revenue hit $59.36B last quarter, up 27%, as ad impressions rose 14% and price per ad climbed 12%.

Shares are up 11.37% this year but only 2.8% over the past 12 months. That’s a weak return for a business growing revenue 28%. Wells Fargo now says Muse can push the stock much higher. My question for this piece: can Meta hit $1,000 in 2027?

Why Meta Has Gone Nowhere in a Year Despite 28% Revenue Growth Spending is what’s holding the stock back. Total costs rose 55% to $42.03B in Q2. Diluted EPS of $6.18 missed the $7.22 estimate, which ended a six-quarter run of beats. Operating margin fell to 31% from 43%.

Free cash flow dropped to $784M as capex reached $30.12B. On top of that, Meta took $2.40B in legal charges and still faces youth-related litigation. Shares slipped 0.74% last week after an 18.99% one-month rally. A beta of 1.185 means the stock swings a bit more than the market.

Wall Street Sees 8.4% Upside. Our Model Says 24.9% The consensus target is $794.96, just 8.4% above today’s price. Ratings break down to 8 Strong Buy, 47 Buy, 7 Hold and 1 Sell.

The base case stands at $923.03, representing 24.92% upside. Estimates span $786.35 in the bear case to $1,061.42 in the bull case, and our confidence score of 0.9 is high.

I think the Street is too cautious. 87% of analysts are bullish, yet their target stands just above the current price. Earnings growth was a slight drag in our model, at -0.013. Most of that came from one-time charges. Strip out the legal and severance costs and operating income would have grown 9%.

Here’s What It Takes for Meta to Reach $1,000 Getting from today’s $733.35 to $1,000 would take a gain of 36.4%. Forward EPS is $31.636, so a $1,000 share price works out to a forward P/E of 32x. The base case of $923.03 already means 23x, so the stock needs about 9x more multiple expansion to get there.

That’s a lot, but I can see how it happens. Strong analyst consensus helped push our 247Factor adjustment to 1.094. Analysts expect EPS of $34.0681 in 2027, up from $31.1683 for 2026, and that growth would bring the multiple down over time. Investors are piling into Meta’s top-charting AI agent.

Advantage Plus has passed a $75 billion annual run rate, and more than 1 million businesses use Meta Business Agents every week.

Zuckerberg said “AI is accelerating our core business today, powering our next generation of products, and opening the door to entirely new enterprise opportunities.” The main risk is that capex keeps growing faster than revenue.

Where Meta Trades Today vs Its Earnings Power At today’s price, Meta trades at 23x forward earnings. That’s reasonable for a business with an 82% gross margin and revenue growing in the high 20s.

Shares sit closer the $779.82 52-week high than the $519.37 low. Over 10 years, the stock has returned 473.86%. If AI keeps raising ad pricing, the current multiple leaves room to rise.

Can Meta Really Hit $1,000? My Verdict $1,000 would take a 36.4% gain. It’s a stretch, but a reachable one: our bull case crosses that level by September 2027.

Three things have to go right. Ad growth has to hold up, Muse and business agents need to start bringing in real revenue, and spending has to level off so margins can recover. A major legal loss or another capex increase would halt it. Investors shouldn’t expect this level of returns every year, but we’ve outlined the plan for how Meta Platforms could reach $1,000 in 2027.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Ayalon Insurance Comp Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 48.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,400 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 7,000 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.3% of Ayalon Insurance Comp Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Ayalon Insurance Comp Ltd.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $15,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Niles Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Price Performance Shares of META stock opened at $721.31 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.84 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $634.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $618.50. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year 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.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year. Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms In other news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

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

Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Meta Platforms to $1,000 from $796 while maintaining an Overweight rating. The analyst cited strong investor enthusiasm for Meta’s Muse AI product cycle. Wells Fargo raises Meta price target to $1,000 Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded its Muse personal AI assistant to a dedicated iPad application shortly after its mobile debut. Strong app-download rankings could help Meta build user engagement and create future monetization opportunities, although sustained usage remains unproven. Meta Muse launches on iPad Positive Sentiment: Meta and Sierra are developing the Personal Agent Protocol with companies including Shopify, Stripe and Walmart. A common standard for AI agents to interact with businesses could strengthen Meta’s position in emerging agent-based commerce. Meta and Sierra launch AI-agent protocol Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintain a generally favorable view, with 44 of 57 covering firms rating the stock Buy and the consensus recommendation at Moderate Buy. Meta receives Moderate Buy consensus Neutral Sentiment: Investor Dan Niles suggested Meta could eventually launch a public cloud business to monetize its AI infrastructure, but this remains speculation rather than a disclosed company plan. Dan Niles discusses Meta cloud opportunity Neutral Sentiment: Reports clarified that AMD’s stock milestone does not automatically give Meta 160 million AMD shares; the companies’ warrant arrangements have been subject to inaccurate interpretations. AMD and Meta warrant clarification Negative Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares worth roughly $1.15 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The scheduled nature reduces the signal’s significance, but the sales can still add short-term pressure after Meta’s recent advance. Meta COO insider transaction filing Negative Sentiment: Investors also face macroeconomic pressure from interest rates above 5% and a potential multibillion-dollar New Mexico penalty, with a ruling expected this month. The legal exposure remains uncertain but represents a material risk. New Mexico legal case involving Meta Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades META has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $810.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Wedbush increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. China Renaissance dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $791.86.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis 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 operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

Read More Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Skydance Just Became a Media Giant—With an $80 Billion Debt Load Could Velo3D Be the Next Defense Buyout Target? Penguin Solutions Is Soaring as AI Memory Demand Explodes Alphabet’s Chart Is Coiling—and the Fundamentals May Be Ready to Back It Up 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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On CNBC’s “Halftime Report Final Trades,” Joshua Brown, co-founder and CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, said he’s sticking with ServiceTitan, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTAN).

Supporting his choice, TD Cowen analyst Andrew Sherman reiterated a Buy rating on ServiceTitan on Wednesday and maintained a $100 price target.

Stephanie Link, chief investment strategist, head of investment solutions and equity portfolio manager at Hightower Advisors, picked Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), adding that Muse is a "game changer."

Supporting her view, Meta could generate more than $27 billion a year from its month-old Muse personal AI agent by 2030, according to Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C), as usage grows and the race to become consumers’ default AI agent intensifies.

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Joseph M. Terranova, senior managing director for Virtus Investment Partners, said Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) is a great stock to buy.

Keybanc analyst Sergio Segura upgraded Airbnb from Sector Weight to Overweight on Oct. 2 and set a $191 price target.

Stephen Weiss, chief investment officer and managing partner of Short Hills Capital Partners, named SK hynix Inc. (NASDAQ:SKHY) as his final trade.

Needham analyst N. Quinn Bolton maintained a Buy on SK hynix on Aug. 24 and raised the price target from $200 to $220.

Price Action ServiceTitan shares gained 4.5% to close at $71.74 on Wednesday. Meta shares fell 2.4% to settle at $721.31 on Wednesday. Airbnb shares gained 0.2% to close at $160.63. SK hynix shares fell 2.4% to settle at $178.25 on Wednesday. Photo via Shutterstock

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