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Meta Stock Pushed Higher on Several Catalysts - Here's What to Know

Meta Platforms rose Thursday as investors weighed analyst target hikes, Meta Connect, and the rollout of its Muse AI agent.

By Damilola Esebame, CFEI® , Edited by Laura Hohenstein

Updated Sept. 24, 2026

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Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) traded at $770.27 in Thursday afternoon trading, up $26.17, or 3.52%, from its $744.10 previous close. The move came as Wall Street digested fresh analyst optimism and Meta Connect. The gain is a welcome signal for investors tracking their overall financial fitness heading into the fourth quarter. Meta Connect is the company's annual product event, and this year's agenda put AI technologies, AI glasses, and VR at the center of the showcase.

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Shares opened weak

Meta opened at $741.07, matching the session low, before buyers pushed the stock higher. Shares later reached $774.25, leaving a wide intraday range.

The stock held most of that advance in afternoon trading. That kept META above its previous close and near the top of the day's range.

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Wells Fargo lifted its target

Wells Fargo analyst Ken Gawrelski maintained an Overweight rating on Meta and raised the firm's price target to $796.00 from $640.00 on Sept. 21. Overweight is a Wall Street rating that generally means the analyst expects the stock to outperform a benchmark or peer group.

Meta also had an overall Buy rating on Wall Street and an average price target of $780.58 in a recent analyst snapshot. Citigroup maintained a Buy rating with an $800.00 target on Sept. 16, and Rosenblatt maintained a Buy rating with an $886.00 target the same day.

Connect is the event backdrop

Meta Connect 2026 ran Sept. 23 and 24, putting the company's AI and hardware plans back in the market spotlight. The event opened with a keynote led by founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg at 7 p.m. ET on Sept. 23.

The event continued Thursday with a developer-focused state of the union session at 1 p.m. ET. Meta's agenda also included developer sessions tied to its platforms, with attention on tools for building across AI glasses, VR, AI, and Horizon.

Muse is the AI focus

Meta recently introduced Muse, a personal AI agent designed to carry out tasks rather than only answer questions. An AI agent is software that can take actions toward a goal, often across apps or websites.

Benzinga reported that Muse runs on a dedicated secure virtual machine, communicates through the Muse app or WhatsApp, and can browse the web, fill out forms, and complete purchases on a user's behalf, checking in for approval before sensitive actions. Meta has described the product as including privacy and security controls, such as an isolated computing environment, limits on visibility into passwords or payment details, and user control over connected apps.

Muse is rolling out in the U.S. on iOS, Android, and muse.ai, with support for Meta's AI glasses expected later.

Rollout and pricing matter

The rollout is still early, and pricing is one way analysts can frame Muse's potential revenue contribution beyond advertising. CNBC reported that people can use the Muse app for free, while Meta is also offering monthly subscriptions that cost $20.00 or $100.00 depending on usage.

That mix of free access and paid capacity gives Wall Street a way to evaluate whether Muse can become a recurring revenue stream. It also keeps attention on whether early downloads turn into sustained use.

Wearables are in view

Market attention around Connect also included next-generation smart glasses and a lightweight mixed-reality device that had been reported under the code name Phoenix. Mixed reality blends digital content with a view of the physical world.

The focus around Connect has shifted from virtual reality alone toward AI, augmented reality, smart glasses, and the metaverse. Morgan Stanley estimated Muse could generate $1.3 billion in annual revenue by 2028 if it reaches major user scale and if commercial query assumptions are met. The estimate depends heavily on usage, commercial query frequency, and monetization efficiency.

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Legal issues remain

Meta's legal challenges remain part of the stock's backdrop even as AI news dominates the week. One recent legal overhang involved a youth-safety settlement of up to $18 billion over a decade.

That backdrop matters because the market is balancing potential new AI revenue against regulatory, legal, and spending concerns. The latest share move suggests AI updates and analyst commentary were carrying more weight in Thursday trading.

Bottom line

Meta shares were higher Thursday as analyst enthusiasm, Meta Connect, and Muse AI kept the stock in focus. The momentum has made Meta a go-to name for anyone looking to start investing in AI-driven plays. The next questions for market watchers are whether Meta discloses meaningful Muse usage, how AI fits into its wearables strategy, and whether new products can offset legal and spending concerns.

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice.

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