This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

Sep 23 – Barclays reaffirmed its “Overweight” rating on Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and maintained a price target of $810, pointing to revenue opportunities from WhatsApp and Threads. The bank estimates WhatsApp could contribute about $6 billion in additional ad revenue by 2026, while Threads may add $19 billion in 2027.

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These projections come on top of Meta’s reported $178.8 billion in revenue, which grew 19.37% year-over-year. Analysts highlight that WhatsApp Status ads could generate significant ad inventory given the platform’s more than 1.5 billion daily active users, although ad prices may remain lower than on other Meta platforms because of regional differences and targeting limits.

Barclays also emphasized Threads’ potential, noting that while the platform is smaller, its feed-based ads target markets with stronger per-capita ad revenue, offering higher monetization prospects. Together, WhatsApp and Threads could help Meta outperform consensus growth expectations of 16% and 15% over the next two years.

The firm acknowledged risks such as cannibalization across Meta’s ad products, but said it does not expect a repeat of the Reels-driven revenue shifts seen in 20222023. Barclays added that Meta AI represents a future upside, though no revenue contribution from the service has been factored into current forecasts.

Based on the one year price targets offered by 62 analysts, the average target price for Meta Platforms Inc is $851.89 with a high estimate of $1086.00 and a low estimate of $605.00. The average target implies a upside of +11.34% from the current price of $765.16.

Based on GuruFocus estimates, the estimated GF Value for Meta Platforms Inc in one year is $714.45, suggesting a downside of -6.63% from the current price of $765.16.