Meta Platforms Stock (META) News Today: Price, Forecasts and Analysis as AI Spending Meets EU Privacy Pressure (Dec. 22, 2025)

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) is heading into the Christmas-shortened trading week with its stock pinned between two powerful narratives: accelerating AI investment that management argues will strengthen the core advertising engine, and intensifying legal and regulatory scrutiny—especially in Europe—that could reshape how the company collects and uses data to target ads.

In premarket trading Monday, Meta shares were modestly higher near $662 after ending Friday at $658.77, according to MarketWatch. ^[1]

Below is a full, news-driven roundup of what’s moving META stock on December 22, 2025, along with the latest forecasts and analyst views shaping expectations into 2026.

META stock price today: the quick read

Premarket (Dec. 22): around $661–$662
Prior close (Dec. 19):$658.77 ^[2]
Big picture: META remains one of the largest U.S. tech stocks by market value, and 2025 performance has been positive but has lagged some mega-cap peers at times—largely because investors are debating whether the next phase of AI spending will expand Meta’s moat or compress margins. ^[3]

(All prices are time-sensitive and can change quickly during the session.)

What’s driving Meta stock on Dec. 22: the key headlines investors are weighing

1) Europe’s privacy shock: Austria’s top court rules Meta’s ad model unlawful

A major overhang for Meta’s ads business emerged on Dec. 18, when Austria’s Supreme Court ruled Meta’s personalized advertising model unlawful under EU data rules and ordered changes that the decision says are enforceable across the bloc. The ruling requires Meta to provide EU users broad access to their personal data (including information about sources, recipients, and intended uses) within 14 days of a request, and it criticized the processing of sensitive data without explicit consent. ^[4]

Why it matters for META stock: Investors are trying to quantify how much “ad relevance” and measurement effectiveness could be impaired if compliance pushes Meta further away from its historically data-rich targeting model in Europe—particularly if it increases friction for personalized ads or constrains data blending across services.

2) DMA pressure: Meta commits to offer EU users a choice on personalized ads

Earlier this month, the European Commission said Meta committed to giving EU users an option to use Facebook and Instagram with less personalized ads to comply with the Digital Markets Act. ^[5]

Taken together with the Austria ruling, markets are increasingly treating Europe not as a “headline risk” but as a structural variable that can influence ad performance, costs, and product design.

3) EU antitrust probe tied to AI features in WhatsApp

Regulatory scrutiny isn’t limited to privacy. Reuters reported earlier in December that EU regulators opened an antitrust investigation into Meta over how it uses AI features in WhatsApp that could disadvantage rivals. ^[6]

Why it matters: WhatsApp is a critical pillar of Meta’s monetization expansion plan (business messaging and ads). Any forced redesign or rollout constraints can affect the “next leg” of growth beyond feed ads.

4) Ad integrity scrutiny: Reuters investigation alleges tolerance of China-linked ad fraud

Meta is also dealing with reputational and potential policy risk after a Reuters investigation reported that internal documents showed Meta sought to limit the “revenue impact” of cracking down on scams and fraudulent ads tied to China-based advertising ecosystems. ^[7]

Why it matters for investors: Even if near-term revenue holds up, markets worry about longer-term consequences—regulatory actions, payment-network scrutiny, advertiser trust, and user safety backlash—especially as governments sharpen focus on online fraud.

5) U.S. antitrust relief: Meta defeats the FTC’s breakup attempt

On the more positive side, Meta scored a significant legal win in November when a federal judge rejected the FTC’s effort to unwind the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions, ruling the government failed to prove Meta currently holds a monopoly in the alleged market definition. ^[8]

Why it matters: This removed a rare “existential” risk that could have forced a breakup—an outcome that would have been difficult to model and potentially disruptive for Meta’s cross-app advertising and product strategy.

6) Another legal front: the IRS tax strategy case

The Wall Street Journal reported the IRS is pursuing a roughly $16 billion case tied to Meta’s international tax approach, describing it as part of a new strategy the agency is using to challenge profit shifting. ^[9]

Why it matters: It’s not a day-to-day trading catalyst like earnings, but it’s another reminder that litigation and regulatory exposure remain a recurring feature of the META investment case.

7) Board and leadership signals: director resignation and AI talent churn

Reuters reported that Dina Powell McCormick resigned from Meta’s board effective immediately, roughly eight months after joining; the report said she may remain an adviser and Meta does not plan to fill the seat. ^[10]
Reuters also reported that Meta’s outgoing chief AI scientist Yann LeCun is linked to early talks to raise funding for a new AI startup at a multibillion-euro valuation, underscoring the talent fluidity across top AI labs. ^[11]

Why it matters: Mega-cap tech valuations increasingly reflect confidence in execution and AI talent retention. Leadership headlines can influence sentiment even when they don’t change near-term fundamentals.

The core bull case for META stock: AI-powered ads and new monetization surfaces

Meta’s bullish narrative is still rooted in the resilience of its ad machine—particularly how AI is being used to improve targeting, creative, and recommendation quality.

AI + ads: management says the flywheel is working, but spending is rising

Meta’s Q3 2025 results reinforced the “AI strengthens ads” message: the company reported revenue of about $51.2B (up strongly year over year), and it guided Q4 revenue to $56B–$59B. ^[12]

However, the same quarter put a spotlight on the cost of that AI push. Meta raised its 2025 capex outlook to $70–$72B, and management said it expects capex dollar growth to be notably larger in 2026 as it builds capacity and contracts with third-party cloud providers. ^[13]

Threads and WhatsApp monetization remain central to the “next growth chapter”

Meta has been expanding monetization beyond classic feed ads—most notably with ads initiatives across WhatsApp and Threads, alongside ongoing competition in short-form video through Instagram Reels. ^[14]

If these surfaces scale without hurting engagement, bulls argue Meta could diversify revenue while maintaining strong operating leverage over time—especially if AI improves ad ROI for advertisers.

Metaverse budget cuts: Wall Street likes the pivot

In early December, Reuters reported Meta was planning to cut up to 30% of the budget allocated to metaverse initiatives as part of 2026 planning, potentially shifting resources toward AI priorities. ^[15]

Investors have generally responded positively to signs of tighter discipline in Reality Labs, because it has historically been a major profit drag.

The bear case: regulation in Europe + AI capex could pressure margins

Even after Meta’s FTC win, the near-term risk debate has shifted toward (1) data rights and privacy enforcement, and (2) capital intensity.

Europe is trying to rewrite the economics of targeted ads

The Austria ruling and DMA-driven product changes raise the possibility that Meta will face:

higher compliance and operational costs,
constraints on how it processes sensitive and cross-site data,
and potentially weaker ad targeting if personalization requires more explicit user permission. ^[16]

For a company whose profits are heavily tied to advertising performance, even modest degradation in targeting efficiency can matter—particularly in a slower macro environment.

AI spending is rising fast—and the market wants proof of ROI

Meta’s own guidance and reporting make clear that infrastructure buildout is accelerating. That is why, even with strong revenue growth in Q3, Meta’s shares sold off after earnings when investors focused on the “higher costs in 2026” message. ^[17]

A separate, related concern is whether local and political backlash against data center expansion could create friction over time for hyperscalers building massive AI compute footprints. ^[18]

Meta stock forecasts: Wall Street price targets and what analysts are saying

Despite the regulatory headlines and capex debate, analyst sentiment remains broadly constructive:

RBC Capital Markets reiterated an Outperform rating with a $810 price target (per a Yahoo Finance roundup). ^[19]
BofA Securities reiterated a Buy rating with a $810 target, highlighting the possibility that AI sentiment improves as Meta approaches new model and product releases in 2026. ^[20]
Aggregated consensus trackers in December generally cluster around the low-to-mid $800s for 12-month targets, with wide dispersion between the low and high estimates—reflecting uncertainty around regulation, capex, and AI monetization timelines. ^[21]

How to interpret that spread: Bulls are effectively underwriting a scenario where Meta converts AI spending into durable ad yield, new product revenue (messaging + social discovery), and a more disciplined cost structure (especially Reality Labs). Bears are underwriting a scenario where Europe’s enforcement trend forces meaningful changes to targeting and data usage before AI-driven monetization fully offsets the headwinds.

Key dates and near-term catalysts to watch

Dividend

Meta’s board declared a $0.525 quarterly cash dividend, payable Dec. 23, 2025 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 15, 2025, according to Meta’s investor relations announcement. ^[22]

Next earnings

Nasdaq’s earnings calendar currently lists Meta as estimated to report around Feb. 4, 2026 (the date can change until confirmed by the company). ^[23]

Holiday week dynamics

Market liquidity is typically lighter into Christmas, which can amplify moves—particularly in mega-cap tech—if there’s unexpected macro data, regulatory headlines, or major analyst calls. ^[24]

The META stock takeaway on Dec. 22, 2025

Meta stock is entering year-end with a clearer “investment fork in the road” than many mega-cap peers:

The upside case is still compelling: AI improvements to ads, expanding monetization on WhatsApp and Threads, and a Wall Street-friendly pullback from metaverse-first spending. ^[25]
The downside risks have become more concrete: Europe is actively challenging the assumptions behind personalized ads, while capex intensity is rising into 2026—forcing Meta to prove returns on AI infrastructure faster and more convincingly. ^[26]