Man, looking at the facebook share stock price lately is like riding a wooden roller coaster—lots of creaking, some sudden drops, but you’re still moving at a clip that makes your stomach flip.
If you’ve been tracking the ticker, you know we aren't exactly in the "move fast and break things" era anymore. It's more like "spend big and build brains." Meta Platforms (which, let’s be real, everyone still just calls Facebook) closed at $620.25 on Friday, January 16, 2026. That’s a bit of a tumble from where it started the year, shedding about 4.6% in just two weeks.
What’s Actually Happening with Meta Right Now?
So, why the jitters? Honestly, it’s the price tag of Mark Zuckerberg’s new obsession. We aren't talking about the Metaverse anymore—at least not in the way we used to. Reality Labs, that division that eats billions for breakfast, just saw another round of layoffs, including about 1,000 people.
Instead, the money is flowing into something called Meta Compute. Zuck is basically trying to turn the company into an infrastructure titan. They’re planning to spend north of $100 billion on capital expenditures this year alone. $100 billion! To put that in perspective, that’s more than the entire market cap of some very famous Fortune 500 companies.
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The market is sorta freaking out because that’s essentially all of their operating cash flow being dumped into data centers and the "Prometheus" supercluster to train Llama 5. It’s a massive bet that "Superintelligence" will pay off better than VR goggles did.
The Numbers You Need to Know
| Metric | Current Value (Jan 2026) |
|---|---|
| Last Close Price | $620.25 |
| 52-Week High | $796.25 |
| 52-Week Low | $479.80 |
| Market Cap | $1.56 Trillion |
| P/E Ratio | ~27.4 |
Why the Facebook Share Stock Price Might Still Be a Bargain
Here’s the thing: despite the massive spending, the actual "boring" part of the business—the ads—is absolutely crushing it.
Even though people keep saying Facebook is for parents and grandparents, the engagement numbers say otherwise. In late 2025, users were spending 5% more time on Facebook and a whopping 10% more on Threads. Instagram video views jumped 30%.
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How? AI. They’re using these massive server farms to figure out exactly what video will keep you scrolling for another ten minutes. For advertisers, this is gold. More engagement means more ad slots, and better AI means those ads actually convert into sales. In Q3 2025, revenue hit $51.24 billion, which was up 26% year-over-year. That’s insane growth for a company this size.
The Stock Split Rumors
You've probably heard the chatter. With the price hovering in the $600s and having touched nearly $800 last year, everyone is asking: Will Meta finally split the stock? Historically, Zuck hasn't been a "split" guy. But analysts at places like Nasdaq and various brokerages are whispering that 2026 might be the year. A split doesn't change the value of the company, but it makes the shares feel "cheaper" to retail investors. If they did a 10-for-1 split, a $600 share becomes $60. Psychologically, that usually brings in more buyers.
The Risks: What Could Go Wrong?
It’s not all sunshine and supercomputers. There are three big things that could keep the facebook share stock price pinned down:
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- The Energy Nexus: AI needs power. A lot of it. Meta’s success is now weirdly tied to their ability to secure nuclear and renewable energy contracts. If they can’t power the centers, the $100 billion investment sits idle.
- Regulatory Heat: Europe is still breathing down their neck about data privacy, and the US is constantly poking at antitrust issues.
- The "Llama" Gamble: If open-source AI models from competitors (like OpenAI or Google) become the industry standard and Meta's Llama 5 doesn't offer a clear advantage, they’ve essentially built a very expensive parking lot for servers.
Expert Take: Buy the Dip or Wait?
Bernstein analyst Mark Shmulik recently called Meta a "dark horse." He’s got a price target of $870. That’s a lot of upside.
The consensus among 40+ major analysts is still a "Moderate Buy." Most of them think the market is being too short-sighted about the spending. They see the 20x forward P/E ratio and compare it to the rest of the "Magnificent Seven" (who often trade at 28x or higher) and think Meta is undervalued.
Honestly, it depends on your stomach. If you believe Zuckerberg can pivot from a social media CEO to an AI infrastructure CEO, this dip is a gift. If you think he’s overspending in a race that has no finish line, you might want to wait for the Q4 earnings call on January 28th to see the official 2026 guidance.
Actionable Next Steps for Investors
- Watch the Jan 28 Earnings: This is the big one. Look specifically for "Capex Guidance." If it's higher than $110 billion, expect the stock to be volatile.
- Check the RSI: Currently, the Relative Strength Index is showing some bearish divergence. If you're a technical trader, look for support around the $600 psychological level.
- Diversify within Tech: Don't put everything in Meta. If you’re worried about their spending, balance it with a "cash cow" like Alphabet or even a cloud play like Amazon.
- Monitor WhatsApp Monetization: This is Meta's "secret weapon" for 2026. If they successfully roll out AI agents for businesses on WhatsApp, it could unlock a revenue stream they’ve barely touched.
Investing in Meta right now requires looking past the massive checks they're writing and focusing on the fact that 3.75 billion people still use their apps every single day. That’s a lot of data to feed the machines.