Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Issues Positive Forecast for Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) had its price objective raised by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $880.00 to $920.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the social networking company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on META. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Citizens Jmp restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $900.00 price objective (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $860.00 target price (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $740.00 to $900.00 in a report on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $847.98.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $738.31 on Thursday. Meta Platforms has a 1 year low of $479.80 and a 1 year high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market cap of $1.86 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.42, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $649.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $696.14.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. The business had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 39.91%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.02 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 9.28%.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 11,690 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.31, for a total value of $6,935,793.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 2,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,432,843.65. This represents a 82.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 600 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total transaction of $365,610.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,476,894.45. This trade represents a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 40,113 shares of company stock valued at $24,621,042 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. now owns 3,908 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,580,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,782,000. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH now owns 3,637 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,401,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson grew its position in Meta Platforms by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 5,355 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $3,535,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Finally, Index Fund Advisors Inc. grew its position in Meta Platforms by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Index Fund Advisors Inc. now owns 6,194 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $4,088,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and strong guidance — Meta reported $59.9B revenue and $8.88 EPS (both above estimates) and guided Q1 revenue to $53.5B–$56.5B, signaling continued ad strength and giving investors confidence the AI investments are starting to lift monetization. CNBC: Meta beats on top, bottom lines, gives stronger-than-expected forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street upgrades and target increases — Multiple firms raised price targets and ratings after the print, reflecting renewed analyst conviction in revenue upside and AI tailwinds (several targets now imply double‑digit upside). MarketBeat: Meta Soars After-Hours
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/market momentum — Analysts and technical commentators note the stock reclaimed key levels and is showing breakout momentum after earnings, which supports further near‑term buying. FXEmpire: Technical Breakout Signals Higher Prices
• Neutral Sentiment: Local PR / community investment — Meta committed $50M to develop a Sac State downtown center; positive for brand and local relations but unlikely to move fundamentals materially. BizJournals: Meta commits $50M to Sac State downtown center
• Neutral Sentiment: Product tests to diversify revenue — Meta is testing premium subscription tiers across Instagram/Facebook/WhatsApp; potential upside long term but unclear near‑term revenue impact. CNET: Meta confirms testing of premium subscriptions
• Negative Sentiment: Huge 2026 CapEx ramp announced — Management expects 2026 capital expenditures of roughly $115B–$135B to build AI infrastructure, a front‑loaded commitment that raises questions about near‑term returns and margin pressure. Reuters: Meta expects annual capital expenditures to rise
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs remains a drag — The XR/Reality Labs unit posted an operating loss (~$6.02B in Q4) and prior reporting shows large cash burn, highlighting ongoing margin risk. CNBC: Reality Labs posts $6.02B loss
• Negative Sentiment: XR cash burn and uncertainty — Reporting that Reality Labs burned ~$19B recently (and has had layoffs) is a reminder that Meta’s non‑ad investments are costly and uncertain. TechCrunch: Meta burned $19B on VR
• Negative Sentiment: Small insider sale — COO Javier Oliván sold 517 shares (disclosed); amount is modest but some investors note insider sales when evaluating sentiment. SEC filing: Oliván insider sale

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.