If you’re checking your portfolio today, Sunday, January 18, 2026, you'll see a bit of a "holding pattern" on the charts. Since the markets are closed for the weekend, the what's the price of meta stock question has a very specific answer: $620.25.
That was the closing price on Friday, January 16. It was a relatively quiet end to a week that saw the stock dip about 0.09% in the final session. Honestly, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster lately. We’re currently sitting about 22% below the all-time high of $796.25 that Meta hit back in August 2025.
Why the slide?
It’s not because people stopped using Instagram or Facebook. Far from it. The company is actually printing money, reporting $51.24 billion in revenue for Q3 2025—a massive 26% jump from the previous year. The "problem," if you want to call it that, is how much Mark Zuckerberg is spending to build the future. We’re talking about a projected $100 billion capital expenditure plan for 2026.
Investors are currently wrestling with a simple question: Is this AI spending spree going to pay off, or is it another "Metaverse" money pit?
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Understanding what's the price of meta stock tells us about the market
When people ask about the price, they’re usually looking for more than just a number. They want to know if they missed the boat or if this is a "buy the dip" moment.
To understand where we are, you have to look at the valuation. Right now, Meta is trading at roughly 20.5x forward earnings. Compare that to the rest of the "Magnificent Seven," which averages around 28x. Basically, the market is pricing Meta at a discount because of the uncertainty surrounding Reality Labs and the "Meta Compute" initiative.
The Bull Case: Why $620 might be a steal
Analysts aren't exactly running for the hills. In fact, most of Wall Street is still incredibly bullish.
- The Consensus: Out of 40-plus analysts tracking the stock, the vast majority—roughly 96%—have a "Buy" or "Strong Buy" rating.
- The Targets: We’re seeing a median price target of $825.00. Some outliers, like Barton Crockett at Rosenblatt, have gone as far as a $1,117 target.
- The Secret Weapon: It’s not just AI. It’s WhatsApp. Meta has finally started turning the "Business Messaging" faucet on, charging companies for agentic AI bots that handle customer service. It's turning a chat app into a revenue machine.
The Bear Case: Why some are cautious
Not everyone is convinced. There’s a group of investors who look at the $17.6 billion operating loss from Reality Labs in 2025 and feel a bit sick.
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- Capex Fears: CFO Susan Li has been very transparent that 2026 will see "notably larger" spending than 2025.
- Infrastructure Costs: Building data centers for "Llama 5" and the "Prometheus" supercluster isn't cheap. It eats into free cash flow.
- Insider Selling: We’ve seen about $25.1 million in insider sales over the last 90 days, including blocks from the COO and CFO. While that’s often just routine diversification, it doesn't always look great when the stock is struggling to reclaim its highs.
Recent Performance and the Road to $800
If you look at the 52-week range, Meta has traveled between $479.80 and $796.25.
It’s been a year of extreme highs and sudden pullbacks. For instance, the stock took a nasty 11.3% intraday hit back on October 30, 2025, right after the Q3 earnings report. It wasn't that the numbers were bad—Meta actually beat EPS estimates with $7.25 against a $6.66 forecast. It was the guidance. The market freaked out over the "Energy-Compute Nexus" and the sheer volume of cash required to keep Meta at the top of the AI food chain.
But here is the thing: Meta’s advertising engine is now almost entirely "industrialized" by AI. They’ve moved past the Apple privacy changes that crippled them a few years ago. The Lattice model and new ad ranking systems are driving higher conversions for small businesses, which is the bread and butter of their revenue.
The Smart Glasses Catalyst
One of the most interesting "non-financial" updates affecting the stock price is the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. They’ve seen "unprecedented demand," and the company is reportedly talking to EssilorLuxottica to double production to 20 million units. Some analysts think the "Orion" AR glasses, which might get a limited release later this year, could be the first real step toward the post-smartphone era. If that happens, Meta isn't just a social media company anymore; they’re a hardware titan.
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What to watch for in the coming weeks
The next big move for the stock will likely happen on January 28, 2026. That’s when Meta is scheduled to release its Q4 and full-year 2025 results after the market closes.
Zacks Investment Research is projecting earnings of $8.16 per share. If they beat that and—more importantly—provide a clear path for how they’ll monetize the Llama 5 model, we could see a rapid return to the $700 level. If the guidance focuses too heavily on "unprecedented spending" without showing the return on investment, we might test the $600 support floor again.
Actionable Insights for Investors
If you're watching the what's the price of meta stock with an eye on buying, consider these factors:
- Dollar-Cost Averaging: Given the volatility around the $100B capex news, entering in stages rather than all at once might save you some stress.
- Monitor the P/E Gap: If Meta continues to trade at a significant discount to its peers while maintaining 20%+ revenue growth, the "catch-up trade" becomes very attractive.
- Watch the Energy Deals: In 2026, Meta’s success is increasingly tied to its ability to secure power for its data centers. Keep an eye on any partnerships they sign with nuclear or renewable energy providers.
The $620 price tag reflects a company in transition—moving from a social media giant to a "superintelligence" infrastructure play. It’s a high-stakes bet, but with over $60 billion in cash on the balance sheet, it’s a bet Mark Zuckerberg is uniquely positioned to make.
Keep an eye on the January 28 earnings call. That 4:30 PM ET conference call will likely set the tone for the entire first half of 2026.
Next Steps for You
To get a better handle on Meta’s current valuation, compare its 20.5x forward P/E ratio against its historical 5-year average. Additionally, set an alert for January 28 to review the Q4 earnings transcript, specifically looking for updates on "Business Messaging" revenue and any revisions to the 2026 capital expenditure guidance.