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Investing.com - Freedom Broker downgraded Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) from Buy to Hold on Tuesday, while simultaneously raising its price target to $800.00 from $680.00. According to InvestingPro data, Meta maintains a "GREAT" financial health score, with 27 analysts recently revising their earnings estimates upward. The stock currently trades near its 52-week high of $784.75.
The research firm cited Meta’s exceptional second-quarter 2025 performance, which exceeded optimistic expectations with impressive revenue and profit growth. This strong showing was attributed to a recovery in advertising pricing, increased user engagement, and widespread adoption of AI tools. The company’s robust performance is reflected in its outstanding 81.97% gross profit margin and substantial revenue of $178.8 billion over the last twelve months.
Meta’s management has raised its revenue guidance for the third quarter of 2025 and revised its full-year capital expenditure expectations upward, highlighting the company’s strategic focus on building proprietary AI infrastructure.
Freedom Broker noted that while these investments are expected to drive stronger revenue growth in 2026, they may also lead to increased depreciation, amortization, and compensation expenses that could temper profitability growth.
The firm maintained a positive outlook on Meta’s performance but adjusted its recommendation due to "current premium valuation multiples" that already reflect the anticipated growth rate in the company’s earnings.
In other recent news, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) reported second-quarter 2025 revenue that exceeded consensus estimates by $5.5 billion, or 3%, and provided third-quarter 2025 revenue guidance with a midpoint 2% above expectations. Analysts at Citizens JMP reiterated their Market Outperform rating on Amazon, setting a price target of $285.00 following these results. Meanwhile, Meta Platforms has been exploring partnerships with AI startups like Pika, focusing on video creation and editing, which may include potential acquisitions or licensing agreements. Benchmark raised its price target on Meta Platforms to $890.00 from $800.00, maintaining a Buy rating due to strong earnings performance and management’s expense outlook. Similarly, JPMorgan increased its price target on Meta to $875 from $795, citing revenue growth driven by AI engagement and advertising improvements. Additionally, CoreWeave saw a 14% stock increase as Meta and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced plans to boost AI spending, indicating strong demand for AI infrastructure. Meta raised the low end of its 2025 capital expenditure forecast, while Microsoft plans to spend over $30 billion this quarter, marking a significant increase from last year.
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