Wait, does Facebook even have a stock anymore? Honestly, it’s the first question people ask when they see the name Meta Platforms Inc. on their brokerage app. If you’re looking for "Facebook" on the Nasdaq, you won’t find it. In 2022, Mark Zuckerberg officially retired the legendary "FB" ticker symbol, swapping it for META.
So, let's get into the weeds. As of mid-January 2026, the price for one single share of Meta sits around $618.
But that number changes faster than a viral Reel. Just this morning, it was bouncing between $615 and $628. If you’ve been watching the markets lately, you know that tech stocks are a total rollercoaster. Meta has seen a 52-week high of nearly $796, but it also bottomed out around $480 earlier in the year. That is a massive swing. It basically means that if you bought at the peak, you're feeling a bit of a sting right now, even though the company is still a literal money-printing machine.
How Much Is a Stock in Facebook and Why Does It Move?
Why does the price jump around so much? It’s not just about how many people are clicking "Like" on their lunch photos anymore. Today, Meta is basically an AI company that happens to own social media apps.
Wall Street is currently obsessed with how much Mark is spending on data centers. We’re talking about $70 billion to $72 billion in capital expenditures just for 2025. That is a staggering amount of cash. Most of it is going into NVIDIA chips and nuclear energy deals to power the massive AI models that run everything from your Instagram feed to those Ray-Ban smart glasses everyone is wearing now.
The Real Cost of a Share
When you ask how much is a stock in facebook, you're really asking about the value of an entire ecosystem. You aren't just buying the blue app. You're buying:
- Instagram: Still the king of engagement for younger demographics.
- WhatsApp: Which is finally starting to make real money through business messaging.
- Reality Labs: The "money pit" or "future," depending on who you ask. This division is still losing billions every quarter on VR and AR research.
- AI Infrastructure: The new backbone of the company.
Analysts like the ones over at Zacks or Wedbush are constantly debating if the stock is overvalued. Right now, Meta trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of about 27. Compared to the rest of the tech sector, that’s actually not too crazy. Some AI-adjacent companies are trading at double that. But because Meta is spending so much on the future, some investors are getting cold feet, fearing an "AI bubble" might pop before the metaverse actually becomes a thing.
Should You Buy One Share or More?
Back in the day, you had to save up enough to buy a full share. If you had $100, you were out of luck because the stock was $300.
That’s over.
Most modern brokers like Robinhood, Fidelity, or Charles Schwab let you buy fractional shares. If you only have $20, you can buy $20 worth of Meta. You’ll own about 0.03 of a share. It’s a great way to start if you’re nervous about the $618 price tag.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ticker
People still search for "FB" constantly. If you type "FB" into a trading platform today, it might not even show up, or it might point you toward an old, delisted entity. Always look for META. The company legally changed its name to Meta Platforms, Inc. to signal that they are moving beyond just being a "social media" company.
It was a risky move. Since that name change in late 2021, the stock has been through hell and back. It dropped 60% at one point when everyone thought TikTok was going to kill Instagram. Then, it surged to all-time highs when Zuckerberg started talking about the "Year of Efficiency" and fired thousands of people to lean out the company.
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The Dividends Surprise
Here is something sort of weird for a tech giant: Meta actually pays a dividend now.
For years, tech companies refused to give cash back to shareholders, preferring to reinvest every penny. But in 2024, Meta started paying out a quarterly dividend. Right now, it’s about $0.53 per share every three months. It’s not going to make you rich—the yield is only around 0.34%—but it’s a sign that the company is maturing. It’s their way of saying, "Hey, we’re a stable blue-chip company now, not just a startup in a garage."
How to Actually Pull the Trigger
If you’ve decided you want in, the process is pretty simple.
- Pick a Broker: Stick to the big names. Security matters.
- Fund Your Account: Transfer cash from your bank.
- Search for "META": Don't use the word Facebook.
- Choose Your Order Type: A "Market Order" buys it immediately at the current price. A "Limit Order" lets you set a maximum price you're willing to pay. Honestly, limit orders are better if the market is being volatile.
Buying a stock is the easy part. Holding it while it swings 5% in a single day? That’s where the real work happens. Meta is a high-beta stock, which is just a fancy way of saying it moves more than the general market. When the S&P 500 goes up 1%, Meta might go up 3%. When the market drops, Meta often drops harder.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check the current "Live" price: Since you read this, the price has likely moved. Use a site like Yahoo Finance or Google Finance to see the second-by-second quote for ticker META.
- Look at your total portfolio: Financial experts usually suggest not putting more than 5% to 10% of your total money into any single stock.
- Research the next Earnings Call: Meta usually reports earnings in late January, April, July, and October. These dates are when the stock price moves the most. The next one is scheduled for roughly February 3, 2026.
- Decide on your "Why": Are you buying because you believe AI is the future, or are you just trying to catch a quick bounce? Your reason determines how long you should hold.