Investing in Meta used to be simple. You bought the stock because you believed in Mark Zuckerberg’s ability to keep people glued to their screens, and you ignored the noise about his hoodie or the occasional Senate hearing. But things feel different now.
As of mid-January 2026, the meta platforms share price is hovering around the $620 mark. Honestly, it’s a bit of a weird spot for the company. While the stock has seen massive gains over the long haul, it’s been underperforming the S&P 500 lately. Why? Because the market is having a massive internal debate about whether Meta is an advertising titan or a money-burning furnace for a future that hasn't arrived yet.
The $70 Billion Reality Check
If you’ve been watching the charts, you’ve probably noticed the volatility. Meta just went through a pretty brutal week. The share price dropped about 4.6% in early January, closing at $620.25 on January 16. It’s not just a random dip; it’s a reaction to the sheer amount of cash Zuckerberg is throwing at Artificial Intelligence and the Metaverse.
We’re talking about capital expenditures of $70 to $72 billion for 2025. And here’s the kicker: they expect that number to go even higher in 2026.
Investors are nervous. They remember the "Year of Efficiency" in 2023 when the stock tripled because the company cut costs. Now, the taps are wide open again. Wall Street loves the profits, but they hate the uncertainty of $100 billion-plus infrastructure bills.
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Why the Share Price is Doing That
Markets hate mixed signals. On one hand, Meta’s core business is actually doing great. In late 2025, revenue jumped about 26% to $51.2 billion in a single quarter. People are still using Instagram. WhatsApp is finally starting to make real money through business messaging.
But then you have Reality Labs.
That division has lost over $70 billion since 2021. Nine dollars. That's what Meta spent for every single dollar of revenue it made in VR recently. It’s a staggering ratio. To fix this, Meta just cut about 1,000 jobs from Reality Labs on January 13, 2026. This was a "strategic reset." They’re moving away from the "bulky headset" dream and doubling down on AI wearables like the Ray-Ban smart glasses.
The market actually liked the job cuts. The stock saw a 3.5% bump right after the announcement. It shows that the meta platforms share price is incredibly sensitive to any sign that the company is reigning in its "mad scientist" spending habits.
Meta Platforms Share Price: The Bulls vs. The Bears
If you ask five different analysts where the stock is going, you’ll get six different answers. Honestly, the spread is wild.
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Some experts, like those at Rosenblatt, have a price target of over $1,100. They see Meta as the "sleeper winner" of the AI race. Their argument is basically that while Google and Microsoft are fighting over search, Meta is using AI to make ads so relevant you can’t help but click. They call it the "Lattice model." It’s a fancy way of saying their AI is getting better at predicting what you want to buy before you even know it.
On the flip side, the bears are looking at the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. Meta’s P/E is around 27 right now. That’s cheaper than Amazon or Alphabet, but it’s still high if you think the spending will eat all the free cash flow.
What the Bulls say:
- Ad prices are up 10% because AI-driven targeting is working.
- WhatsApp is a "dark horse" for revenue.
- The 2026 "Orion" AR glasses could be the next iPhone moment.
What the Bears say:
- $100 billion in AI spending is a massive gamble with no guaranteed ROI.
- Competition from TikTok and Apple’s Vision Pro is getting tighter.
- Regulatory pressure in Europe is a ticking time bomb for ad revenue.
Is a Stock Split Coming?
There’s a lot of chatter about a potential stock split in 2026. With the price sitting comfortably in the $600s, it’s becoming harder for the average "retail" investor to pick up a few shares. Historically, companies like Meta use splits to make the stock feel more accessible. While a split doesn’t change the value of the company, it usually creates a bit of a "hype" rally. If the meta platforms share price keeps climbing toward that $800 consensus target, a split becomes almost inevitable.
Practical Steps for Investors
If you're looking at Meta right now, you need to decide what kind of investor you are. You're not just buying a social media company; you're buying a venture capital fund that happens to have a massive ATM (Facebook/Instagram) attached to it.
- Watch the Capex, Not Just Revenue: If Meta reports higher than expected spending in their Q4 earnings on January 28, expect the share price to take a hit, even if they beat on profit.
- Focus on Wearables: The Ray-Ban Meta glasses are the real indicator of whether their hardware strategy is working. If those sales plateau, the Metaverse dream stays a dream.
- P/E Comparison: Compare Meta to the rest of the "Magnificent Seven." At 27x earnings, it’s arguably the "value" play of the group compared to Nvidia or Amazon, but that discount exists for a reason—the risk of overspending.
Ultimately, Meta is a bet on Mark Zuckerberg’s vision. He’s pivot-happy, which is why the company survived the shift from desktop to mobile and from feed to stories. Now, he's betting the entire house on AI and glasses. Whether the meta platforms share price hits $1,000 or drops back to $500 depends entirely on whether those $70 billion data centers actually produce something people want to use.
Check the technical support levels near $580. Historically, that’s where the "floor" has been during recent pullbacks. If it breaks below that, the narrative might be shifting from "growth" to "caution."