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Today's Exclusive Article Meta Platforms Posted Its Fastest Growth Guide in Years—Now What?Written by Leo Miller. Originally Published: 2/3/2026. 
In Brief - Meta's latest earnings report swayed many investors, as shares rose by a double-digit percentage the next day.
- The company's Q1 2026 guidance implies growth that the company has not seen in years, especially when adjusting for pandemic-driven abnormalities.
- Updated price targets imply +20% upside ahead, with one particularly bullish forecast projecting +50% gains.
All things considered, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) delivered a strong Q4 2025 earnings report. It comfortably surpassed estimates on revenue and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) in its Jan. 28 release and showed meaningful underlying improvements in its business. The Magnificent Seven company's outlook was particularly intriguing. Despite forecasting rapidly rising spending in 2026, Meta projected that sales would increase by 30% in Q1 2026 — its fastest growth rate since Q3 2021. Wall Street is taking notice, with many analysts lifting their price targets. Growth at Scale: Putting Meta’s 30% Guidance in Context The Wall Street Journal is asking whether a stock market crash is coming. Research from Weiss Ratings suggests the first half of 2026 could be very tough for certain stocks as a radical shift hits the market. Some of America's most popular names could take serious damage. Analysts have identified five stocks you should consider avoiding before this event plays out. If these are in your portfolio, you'll want to review your positions carefully. See the five stocks to avoid and learn what's driving this shift. Meta hasn't produced 30% growth since Q3 2021 — more than four years ago — which already makes the guidance noteworthy. A closer look makes it even more striking. The results many companies reported in 2021 were influenced by an external factor: the COVID-19 pandemic. With economies disrupted in 2020, that year was weaker for many businesses, including Meta. At the time, Meta's revenue growth was roughly 22%, its slowest pace since at least 2015. As pent-up demand released in 2021, comparisons to the weak 2020 base produced unusually high growth figures. Given that abnormal base effect, it's useful to compare Meta's guidance to pre-pandemic periods. Excluding 2020 and 2021, Meta hasn't achieved a 30% growth rate since Q4 2018 — roughly seven years ago. That's notable because as a company's revenue base grows, maintaining very high percentage growth becomes harder: each incremental dollar represents a smaller slice of the whole. If Meta hits 30% growth next quarter, revenue would be near $55 billion. When Meta last posted 30% growth in Q4 2018, revenue was about $16.9 billion. The contrast underscores how much larger Meta's business is today and how significant it would be to achieve similar percentage growth off a much bigger base. Meta Price Targets Rise, Most Bullish Forecast Pushed Higher The MarketBeat consensus price target for Meta shares currently sits near $849, implying roughly 20% upside. Looking only at price targets updated after Jan. 28 improves that picture: MarketBeat tracked more than 25 analysts who revised targets after the earnings release, and all but one raised their forecasts. Among those who updated, the average target is $870, implying about 23% upside. While not a dramatic shift, it's worth noting analysts largely stayed bullish on Meta even as some investors turned cautious. For example, the average of the targets updated one week after the company's Q3 2025 results was $857, despite the stock falling more than 10% during that period. The most conservative post-Jan. 28 target tracked by MarketBeat comes from Scotiabank at $700, implying roughly 1% downside versus the stock's Feb. 2 close near $706. The most bullish updated target comes from Rosenblatt Securities, which raised its forecast to $1,144 — implying nearly 62% upside. Historically Conservative Forecasts Provide Potential for Upward Revisions Meta's Q4 report helped win back many investors, with shares jumping 10.4% the next day. Wall Street remains generally constructive: the company has beaten sales estimates in each of its last 14 quarterly reports, a track record that supports the potential for further upward revisions to price targets. That said, markets will continue to watch Meta's spending closely and expect the company to deliver on its ambitious growth projections. Execution will determine whether the optimistic outlook translates into sustained share-price gains.
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