Founded in 2004 and headquartered in California, Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) is a global technology company focused on building products that help people connect and share across digital platforms. Its services span mobile devices, personal computers, and emerging technologies such as virtual, mixed, and augmented reality, as well as wearables. Meta’s ecosystem includes some of the world’s most widely used social platforms - Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and its newer text-based app, Threads. Boasting a market capitalization of roughly $1.7 trillion, Meta sits at the center of social networking, digital communication, and immersive technology, shaping how billions of users interact online every day.
META's shares have lagged behind the broader market over the past year, rising 2% compared to the S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 16.1% surge. However, in 2026, the stock has climbed nearly 2%, slightly outpacing the SPX’s 1.9% rise.
Focusing on its industry benchmark, the State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLC) has risen 15.8% over the past year, beating META's surge. In 2026, however, XLC declined marginally and has lagged behind the stock.
On Oct. 30, META stock dipped 11.3% following the release of its better-than-expected Q3 2025 earnings. The company’s revenue amounted to $51.2 billion, surpassing the Wall Street estimates. Moreover, META’s adjusted EPS for the quarter came in at $7.25, comfortably beating the Street’s expectations by 9.7%. Despite the rosy results for the quarter, investor confidence was brought down due to the company’s rising capital expenditure in the coming quarter for AI infrastructure, data centers, chips, and server expansion. Additionally, a huge loss in META’s AR/VR arm, Reality Labs, costing around $3.8 billion, also raised a red flag in the eyes of investors.
For the current year, which ended in December, analysts expect META’s EPS to rise 21.5% year over year (YoY) to $29 on a diluted basis. The company’s earnings surprise history is solid. It surpassed the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters.
Among the 56 analysts covering META stock, the consensus is a “Strong Buy.” That’s based on 46 “Strong Buy” ratings, three “Moderate Buys,” and seven “Holds.”
The configuration has remained more or less unchanged in recent months.
On Jan. 26, Roth Capital analyst Rohit Kulkarni maintained a “Buy” rating on META stock and cut the price target from $845 to $800.
META’s mean price target of $833.37 suggests upside potential of 23.8% from the current market prices. Its Street-high target of $1,117 hints that the stock could rally as much as 66%.
On the date of publication, Sristi Jayaswal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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