Analysts Rate Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) a Strong Buy, Forecast 28% Upside

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is among the 14 Best S&P 500 Stocks to Buy Now. On Wednesday, RBC Capital analyst Brad Erickson reiterated the firm’s Outperform rating on the stock with a price target of $810.

The update follows Morgan Stanley’s December 11 adjustment to the stock, when it lowered the price target to $750 from $820 while maintaining an earlier Overweight rating.

Analyst Brian Nowak told investors that, despite being bullish on Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) heading into 2026, the firm was slashing its earnings estimates for fiscal 2026 and 2026 by around 8% each, considering projections of increased operating expenses.

As of the close of business on December 17, Wall Street analysts have a consensus Strong Buy rating on the stock, with a one-year average share price target of $830.73, representing an upside of 28%.

In other news, the Financial Times reported on Thursday that Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, who will be leaving the company at the end of this year, has held discussions to raise €500 million for his new startup, which would value the firm at around €3 billion before its launch.

The British daily newspaper reported that the new startup will be called Advanced Machine Intelligence Labs and that Meta is expected to form a ‘partnership’ with the business.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is one of the world’s largest technology companies. It operates several popular social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Threads.

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