Is Meta Platforms Stock a Buy after the Recent Pullback? Wall Street Weighs in

Meta Platforms (META) stock has declined more than 12% over the past month due to concerns about elevated capital spending on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure by the social media platform and regulatory woes related to child safety on social media. The company is slashing its workforce and focusing on efficiency to mitigate the impact of its huge capex. Despite ongoing challenges, most analysts remain bullish on META stock and see strong upside potential from current levels.

Let’s look at analysts’ opinions on Meta Platforms stock.

Analysts Remain Bullish on META Stock Despite Ongoing Headwinds

Recently, Mizuho analyst Lloyd Walmsley reiterated a Buy rating on META stock, but lowered his price target to $835 from $850. The 5-star analyst expects Meta Platforms to launch more AI products that will provide insights into what the company plans to do with its new and improved large language model (LLM) and how it intends to eventually monetize it. Walmsley is encouraged by Meta’s aim to build customer-focused agentic AI for everyday users, while major AI labs increasingly focus on enterprise clients. He also reacted positively to Meta’s comments on a spike in Meta AI usage since the launch of Muse Spark.

That said, Walmsley believes that it is important for Meta to clearly demonstrate its product roadmap and user adoption, and/or start controlling its costs and capex growth before it announces its Q2 results and issues third-quarter guidance, especially as it will face significantly tougher comparisons. Walmsley cautioned that if growth peaks in Q2 2026 and the company doesn’t deliver on product development or cost control, it could weigh on META stock’s valuation and share price.

Following the Q1 print, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Deepak Mathivanan reiterated a Buy rating on META stock but lowered his price target to $750 from $850 and reduced his 2027 EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) estimate by 2% to reflect increased capex and cloud deals. The 5-star analyst noted Meta’s market-beating Q1 results and strong Q2 revenue guidance, which implies 26% growth (excluding forex) at the high end. Mathivanan added that Meta continues to benefit from AI-led improvements in user engagement and ad performance across its core Family of Apps (FoA).

Commenting on the incremental capex in 2026, Mathivanan said it will reignite debates over the returns on Meta’s massive spending. Nonetheless, he noted product opportunities driven by Meta’s Muse Spark model in areas such as personal intelligence, shopping, and enterprise. Noting continued strength in Meta Platforms’ core ad business, Mathivanan said that he believes that the company has multiple opportunities to generate solid returns on its capital investments in the core business.

Is META a Good Stock to Buy?

Overall, Wall Street has a Strong Buy consensus rating on Meta Platforms stock based on 31 Buys and seven Holds. The average META stock price target of $817.71 indicates 36% upside potential.