Meta Platforms Inc is moving into its scheduled earnings release on Wednesday with multiple Wall Street research teams maintaining constructive ratings, even as they acknowledge investor unease over growing investments in artificial intelligence technology.
Four well-known research firms have reconfirmed bullish views on the company, assigning price targets that range from $800 to $870.
Wolfe Research held an Outperform rating with an $800 price target. The firm projects revenue growth of 21% year-over-year in 2026, a pace that it says exceeds the Street consensus estimate of 18.5%. Wolfe Research also expects elevated capital expenditures, forecasting $118 billion versus the consensus near $110 billion.
Bernstein maintained its Outperform rating and an $870 target. The firm emphasized Meta’s strength in rolling out products and noted the scale of Meta AI, pointing out that the service already records more than 1 billion monthly users even with what it described as "average" models, implying scope for further expansion as model quality improves.
Bank of America Securities kept a Buy rating and an $810 price target. The research team projects fourth-quarter revenue of $59.2 billion and earnings per share of $8.27, figures that the firm expects to be above consensus estimates. Bank of America cited potential upside driven by steady macro conditions, continued usage growth and improved ad targeting enabled by AI.
Raymond James reaffirmed a Strong Buy stance with an $800 target. The firm forecasts top-line growth of 20% in 2026 and 19% in 2027, compared with Street estimates of 18% and 16% for those same years. Raymond James described Meta as an "AI Tweener," noting the company’s narrative could shift rapidly with breakthroughs in its Llama model or stronger AI monetization, while cautioning that near-term expense and capital expenditure pressures remain.
Summary:
Analyst sentiment heading into the quarterly report skews positive, backed by sizable price targets and optimistic growth forecasts. At the same time, firms highlight a trade-off between potential revenue and monetization gains from AI and the immediate financial impact of ramped-up spending on infrastructure and development.
This coverage underscores the tension between long-term product and monetization potential and short-term margin and capital intensity concerns as Meta scales its AI initiatives.