Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Trading Down 2.8% on Insider Selling

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) was down 2.8% during trading on Monday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $636.00 and last traded at $637.25. Approximately 8,545,671 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average daily volume of 16,340,884 shares. The stock had previously closed at $655.66.

Specifically, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total value of $5,106,100.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 2,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,793,352.84. The trade was a 74.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $639.18, for a total value of $370,724.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,200,374.26. This trade represents a 10.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $639.18, for a total transaction of $402,044.22. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 2,942 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,880,467.56. This represents a 17.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $800.00 price target for the company. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $1,117.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $844.44.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525/share, payable March 26 — a direct shareholder-return action that can support investor sentiment and attract income-focused funds. Meta (META) Strengthens Investor Appeal With Dividend Payout and Platform Expansion Efforts
• Positive Sentiment: Billionaire investors and TV pundits are publicly backing Meta — Bill Ackman reportedly increased exposure and Jim Cramer highlighted Meta’s move toward its own cloud capability — signals of conviction that can buoy sentiment and attract longer-term flows. A Billionaire Just Bet Big on This AI Stock. Should Investors Follow Suit? Jim Cramer Believes Meta’s (META) Developing Its Own Cloud Business
• Positive Sentiment: Operationally, analysts and coverage note Meta’s AI could accelerate faster than expected and the company is scaling Nvidia chips in its data centers — supporting future ad/productivity gains from AI. Meta’s AI Might Catch Up Faster Than You Think Meta Platforms Just Gave Incredible News for Nebius Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector tailwind: Bridgewater expects Big Tech to invest roughly $650B in AI this year — supports a higher long-term TAM but means intense competition and heavy capex industry-wide. Big Tech to invest about $650 billion in AI in 2026, Bridgewater says
• Neutral Sentiment: Inclusion on buy-lists and “high-growth” roundups (multiple outlets) provides retail/ETF interest but these pieces are broad and not immediate catalysts. 3 High-Growth Stocks To By In February
• Negative Sentiment: Debt-funded AI buildout is drawing scrutiny — coverage highlights hyperscalers (including Meta) increasing debt to fund capex, which raises balance-sheet and bond-market concerns that could pressure multiples. How the AI debt binge shattered hyperscalers’ ‘unspoken contract’ with investors Meta Rakes It In, Yet Still Borrows Billions for AI
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk in India: the Supreme Court will hear Meta/WhatsApp appeals over a ₹213 crore penalty tied to privacy — potential fines and reputational/legal costs remain a risk in a key market. Indian Supreme Court To Hear Meta, WhatsApp Pleas Against ₹213 Crore Penalty Over Privacy Policy WhatsApp data privacy: SC to review Rs 213 crore CCI penalty and Meta’s appeals
• Negative Sentiment: Minor insider sell disclosed (director sold ~$370k) — not large enough to indicate broad insider concern but can be viewed negatively in short term. Insider Selling: Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Director Sells $370,724.40 in Stock

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $656.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $689.03. The company has a market cap of $1.61 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.28.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.02 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.94%.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in META. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 34,551 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $20,230,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,456 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $5,537,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares during the last quarter. Headwater Capital Co Ltd boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 294.7% in the first quarter. Headwater Capital Co Ltd now owns 150,000 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $86,454,000 after purchasing an additional 112,000 shares in the last quarter. Dymon Asia Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Finally, Capital & Planning LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $322,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.