Meta shares jump 8.6% ahead of Connect conference

Shares of Meta Platforms jumped 8.6% in afternoon trading on September 21, 2026. The move came as investor attention turned to its artificial intelligence tools ahead of the annual Meta Connect conference scheduled for September 23 to 24. The stock reached $729.38 per share, trading near its 52-week high of $765.16 set in September 2025.

The company launched its Muse personal agent in the United States on September 8, prompting a 6.7% share gain at the time. Muse runs on the Muse Spark model to handle consumer tasks such as booking travel, sending emails, and completing forms. It operates across iOS, Android, muse.ai, and WhatsApp, with smart glasses support planned later. The service includes a free tier.

Wells Fargo analyst Ken Gawrelski maintained an Overweight rating on the stock and raised his price target to $796 from $640. Citing SensorTower data, the bank noted that U.S. Muse downloads reached a record 264,000 on September 19, while daily active users touched 448,000 on September 18. Mizuho analyst Lloyd Walmsley previously stated that the rollout marks progress toward generating commercial returns from heavy AI capital spending.

Meta shares have gained 12.1% since the start of the year and have recorded 15 single-day moves larger than 5% over the past twelve months. An investor who purchased $1,000 in Meta stock five years ago would hold an investment valued at $2,040.