Although Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) stock has experienced volatile recent sessions, the equity has received a bullish outlook from Wall Street for the next 12 months.
At the close of the last session, META was trading at $594, ending the day up a modest 0.85% but remaining down 0.83% year to date. Meanwhile, over the past month, the social media giant has fallen almost 20%.
The volatility comes despite Meta reporting strong Q3 2024 earnings. To this end, the technology giant beat Wall Street estimates, posting adjusted EPS of $7.25 versus $6.69 expected and revenue of $51.24 billion against $49.41 billion forecast. Sales jumped 26% year-over-year, marking the company’s fastest growth since early 2024.
At the same time, Meta recorded a one-time, non-cash tax charge tied to President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which it said will sharply reduce U.S. federal cash tax payments through 2025 and beyond.
For Q4, Meta expects revenue of $56 billion to $59 billion, above analyst expectations at the midpoint.
Wall Street bullish on META stock price
Regarding the stock outlook, data from 41 Wall Street analysts compiled by TipRanks shows a ‘Strong Buy’ consensus, with 34 recommending a purchase, six advising investors to hold, and only one urging a sell.
The latest 12-month price target average sits at $839.23, implying a 41.23% upside from Meta’s last closing price of $594.25. Analysts’ projections range widely, with a high-end target of $1,117.00 and a low estimate of $655.15, reflecting both optimism and caution around Meta’s rapid expansion and spending trajectory.
Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Deepak Mathivanan, on November 19, cut his price target on Meta to $720 from $830 but maintained an ‘Overweight’ rating, warning that the stock, then trading at $597.69, faces a sharp rise in costs beginning in 2026. The firm expects Meta’s operating expenses to surge 30% year-over-year to $152 billion, driven by heavier depreciation, infrastructure spending, AI-related hiring, and more than $40 billion in new cloud-service commitments that could add about $4 billion to FY26 costs.
Wedbush analyst Scott Devitt, on November 13, added Meta Platforms to its “Best Ideas List,” reiterating an Outperform rating and a $920 price target, citing strong core ad demand, accelerating AI hardware efforts, and growing momentum behind Meta AI and its Superintelligence Labs. The firm argued that concerns about rising expenses and capex are outweighed by the payoff from AI-driven improvements across Meta’s ad systems and recommendation engines, noting a clear disconnect between solid fundamentals and cautious investor sentiment. Wedbush sees healthy underlying demand in Meta’s core business and views management as firmly committed to long-term strategic ambitions in AI, advertising innovation, and the metaverse.
Needham’s Laura Martin, on November 18, maintained a ‘Hold’ on Meta Platforms without providing a price target, while Mizuho’s Lloyd Walmsley raised his target to $920 from $812 and reaffirmed a ‘Buy’, reflecting growing confidence after Meta’s strong fiscal Q3 2025 results.
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