Budget Cuts for Metaverse Initiative: Meta is expected to implement budget cuts of up to 30% for its metaverse initiative, which may include layoffs as early as January, as part of its annual budget planning for 2026.
Investor Reaction: The announcement of budget cuts led to a 4% rise in Meta's shares, alleviating some investor concerns over the significant financial losses the company has faced in its metaverse investments since 2020.
Challenges in the Metaverse Market: Meta has struggled to sell its vision of an immersive metaverse and expand its market for devices, although it has found some success with smart glasses compared to competitors like Google and Apple.
Focus on AI Development: Amidst challenges, Meta is intensifying its efforts in artificial intelligence, reorganizing its AI initiatives under Superintelligence Labs and committing up to $72 billion in capital spending this year to stay competitive in the tech landscape.
Wall Street analysts forecast META stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for META is 824.71 USD with a low forecast of 655.15 USD and a high forecast of 1117 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
44 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast META stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for META is 824.71 USD with a low forecast of 655.15 USD and a high forecast of 1117 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
37 Buy
6 Hold
1 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 647.630
Low
655.15
Averages
824.71
High
1117
Current: 647.630
Low
655.15
Averages
824.71
High
1117
Wells Fargo
Ken Gawrelski
Overweight
downgrade
$795 -> $754
2026-01-23
New
Reason
Wells Fargo
Ken Gawrelski
Price Target
$795 -> $754
AI Analysis
2026-01-23
New
downgrade
Overweight
Reason
Wells Fargo analyst Ken Gawrelski lowered the firm's price target on Meta Platforms to $754 from $795 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm says that evaluation of capacity contracts drives meaningful upward revision to OpEx/CapEx estimates for 2026-2028. Wells sees a challenging near-term timing mismatch between ramping AI investments in compute capacity and identification of new use cases and products.
Jefferies
Buy
maintain
$910
2026-01-22
New
Reason
Jefferies
Price Target
$910
2026-01-22
New
maintain
Buy
Reason
Jefferies lays out five reasons to buy the pullback in Meta Platforms (META), pointing to an "attractive" risk/reward at the current discount to Alphabet (GOOGL); what it views as "moderate downside" to estimates and stronger upside potential; AI hires that it views as "set to deliver" in 2026; Continued momentum from Meta's core flywheel powered by AI; and accelerating activation of major incremental revenue engines, including WhatsApp, Threads and Llama/AI. The firm keeps a Buy rating and $910 price target on Meta shares.
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BofA
Neutral -> Buy
upgrade
$111 -> $127
2026-01-21
New
Reason
BofA
Price Target
$111 -> $127
2026-01-21
New
upgrade
Neutral -> Buy
Reason
As previously reported, BofA upgraded Oklo (OKLO) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $127, up from $111, following the company's signing of a firm, binding agreement with Meta (META) to develop a phased 1.2 GW advanced nuclear campus. While the MW contribution is "modest," the deal signals a "meaningful step forward" and provides tangible proof of execution and counterparty commitment, the analyst tells investors. Meta's willingness to commit capital years ahead of delivery underscores the importance of nuclear as AI and data center demand accelerate, adds the analyst, who sees Oklo as the most levered public SMR name to data center demand.
UBS
Buy
downgrade
$915 -> $830
2026-01-20
New
Reason
UBS
Price Target
$915 -> $830
2026-01-20
New
downgrade
Buy
Reason
UBS lowered the firm's price target on Meta Platforms to $830 from $915 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The Q4 earnings outlook for advertising-driven companies points to slimmer beats after a slow October tied to a government shutdown, followed by a rebound in November and December, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Among nine companies, five exceeded prior forecasts, two were in line, and two came in modestly below expectations, UBS says.
About META
Meta Platforms, Inc. is building human connections, powered by artificial intelligence and immersive technologies. The Company's products enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) headsets, augmented reality (AR), and wearables. It also helps people discover and learn about what is going on in the world around them, enabling people to share their experiences, ideas, photos, videos, and other content with audiences ranging from their closest family members and friends to the public at large. The Company's segments include Family of Apps (FoA) and Reality Labs (RL). FoA segment includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads. RL segment includes its virtual, augmented, and mixed reality related consumer hardware, software and content. Its product offerings in VR include its Meta Quest devices, as well as software and content available through the Meta Horizon Store.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
