Valued at a market cap of $1.5 trillion, Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) is a global technology leader that develops and operates an interconnected ecosystem of social media, messaging, and immersive digital platforms used by billions of people worldwide. The Menlo Park, California-based company’s core operations center on a suite of applications, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads. It is expected to announce its fiscal Q1 earnings for 2026 in the near future.
Before this event, analysts expect this social media giant to report a profit of $6.67 per share, up 3.7% from $6.43 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company has topped Wall Street’s bottom-line estimates in each of the last four quarters. Its earnings of $8.88 per share in the previous quarter outpaced the forecasted figure by 8.2%.
For the current fiscal year, ending in December, analysts expect META to report a profit of $29.74 per share, up marginally from $29.69 per share in fiscal 2025. Furthermore, its EPS is expected to grow 14.9% year-over-year to $34.17 in fiscal 2027.
META has gained 13.5% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming both the S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 30.3% return and the State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLC) 28.1% uptick over the same time period.
On Mar. 31, shares of META surged 6.7% after President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to end the multi-week military conflict with Iran. The tensions had fueled worries about rising oil prices and broader market volatility, which weighed on investor sentiment, especially in growth-focused technology stocks. Signs of potential de-escalation in the Middle East lifted confidence, prompting a rebound across major tech names.
Wall Street analysts are highly optimistic about META’s stock, with a "Strong Buy" rating overall. Among 56 analysts covering the stock, 45 recommend "Strong Buy," three indicate "Moderate Buy,” and eight suggest "Hold." The mean price target for META is $861.52, indicating a solid 50.3% potential upside from the current levels.
On the date of publication, Neharika Jain 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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