So, you're looking at the nasdaq facebook stock price and wondering if the "Meta" rebrand finally has its legs, or if we're just watching a very expensive science experiment. Honestly, it's a bit of both. Right now, Meta Platforms (the ticker is META, though many still just type "Facebook" into their search bars) is sitting around $620.25 as of mid-January 2026.
It’s been a wild ride. Just last year, in August 2025, the stock hit an all-time high of $788.82. Then, reality—or rather, Reality Labs—hit the fan. The market has been bipolar about Mark Zuckerberg’s spending. One day he’s a genius for pivoting to AI; the next, he’s "wasting" $100 billion on data centers.
If you want to understand where the price is going, you have to look past the ticker. You've gotta look at the friction between their massive ad machine and their terrifyingly large shopping list for Nvidia chips.
The Reality of the Nasdaq Facebook Stock Price Right Now
Basically, the stock is in a "prove it" phase. While the 52-week high sits up near $796, we’ve seen a recent pullback. Why? Because the company’s capital expenditure (CapEx) is projected to explode past **$100 billion in 2026**. That is an insane amount of money. To put it in perspective, that’s more than the entire market cap of many Fortune 500 companies being spent just on servers and AI infrastructure in a single year.
But here is what most people get wrong: they think Meta is still just a social media company.
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It's an AI company that happens to own the world’s biggest billboards. The reason the nasdaq facebook stock price hasn't completely cratered under that spending weight is that the "Family of Apps" (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads) is still a cash geyser. In the third quarter of 2025, they pulled in $51.2 billion in revenue. Most of that—about $50 billion—came from ads.
- Ad Efficacy: AI is actually making their ads better.
- User Engagement: People are spending 10% more time on Threads than they were six months ago.
- The Nuclear Bet: Meta recently made headlines by betting on nuclear energy (deals with Oklo and Vistra) to power their data centers.
Zuckerberg’s Pivot: Cutting the Metaverse Fat
For a long time, the "Metaverse" was a dirty word on Wall Street. Investors hated the $18 billion annual losses coming out of Reality Labs. But recently, things shifted. In late 2025, reports surfaced that Zuckerberg was finally looking at 30% budget cuts for the metaverse group.
That news alone sent the stock up 6% in a single day.
Investors aren't necessarily against the future; they just don't want to pay for a version of the future that no one is using yet. By shifting focus from VR headsets (which have stalled) to AI Smart Glasses, Meta found a narrative the market actually likes. You can wear glasses in public. You can't exactly wear a Quest 3 at a Starbucks without looking like a dork.
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The Analyst Divide
Wall Street is currently split into two camps. You have the "Bulls" at firms like Rosenblatt Securities, who have set price targets as high as $1,117. They believe the AI-driven ad targeting will eventually pay for all those data centers ten times over.
Then you have the "Bears" who worry about 2026. If the economy softens and ad spending dips, that $100 billion in fixed costs for AI infrastructure won't go away. It could absolutely crush their free cash flow. Currently, the consensus rating remains a "Buy," but it’s a cautious one. Analysts are watching the January 28, 2026 earnings call like hawks.
What Actually Drives the Price Today?
If you’re trading this, or just holding it in a 401(k), three things matter more than anything else.
First, there’s the TikTok factor. Meta has been fighting a war of attrition with TikTok for years. Reels has mostly stabilized that front, but any new regulatory wins for TikTok (or losses for Meta in Europe) directly move the stock.
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Second, the Infrastructure Bill. Meta’s tax rate jumped to 87% in late 2025 due to a one-time non-cash charge related to new legislation. While that was a "paper" loss, it scared the amateurs. The real cash tax payments are expected to drop in 2026, which could give the stock a "stealth" boost when people realize the net income isn't as bad as the headlines suggested.
Third, and this is the big one: The Dina Powell McCormick factor. Meta recently named the former Trump adviser as President and Vice Chair. This is a massive signal that they are trying to play nice with the current administration to avoid the "Big Tech" break-up threats that have loomed over the nasdaq facebook stock price for half a decade.
Actionable Insights for Your Portfolio
Don't just watch the daily candles. If you're looking at Meta, you need a plan that accounts for the volatility of a company that is essentially rebuilding its engine while flying the plane.
- Watch the CapEx vs. Ad Revenue Ratio: If capital spending grows faster than ad revenue for three consecutive quarters, the stock will likely re-rate lower.
- The "Split" Speculation: There has been zero official word on a stock split for 2026. If you see "Meta Stock Split" headlines, treat them as clickbait until a 10-Q filing says otherwise.
- Earnings Timing: Mark January 28 on your calendar. The Q4 2025 results will set the tone for the entire first half of 2026. The consensus EPS forecast is $8.29. A beat there, combined with a "modest" CapEx guide, could send shares back toward $700.
- Ignore the "Facebook is Dead" Narrative: With 3.43 billion daily active users across their apps, they aren't going anywhere. The risk isn't "user death"; the risk is "spending bloat."
The bottom line? Meta is no longer a "social media" play. It is a high-stakes bet on AI infrastructure. If you believe the world will be run by Llama models and AI glasses by 2030, the current price might look like a bargain. If you think the AI bubble is about to pop, that $100 billion bill Zuckerberg is racking up should keep you up at night.
Next Steps: Review the upcoming January 28 earnings report specifically for "Free Cash Flow" figures rather than just "Revenue." If FCF stays above $10 billion despite the AI spending, it's a sign the core business is even stronger than expected. If you're looking for a cheaper entry point, the $590-$610 range has historically acted as a strong support level over the last few months.