Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Shares Down 1.6% Following Insider Selling

Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) were down 1.6% on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $721.30 and last traded at $726.9120. Approximately 19,087,686 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 8% from the average daily volume of 17,595,760 shares. The stock had previously closed at $738.79.

Specifically, COO Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $748.91, for a total transaction of $471,064.39. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 1,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $837,281.38. This trade represents a 36.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $750.42, for a total value of $709,897.32. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 8,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,621,706.08. This represents a 9.68% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on META shares. HSBC dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Mizuho set a $750.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $810.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $787.86.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse personal AI agent reportedly surpassed 5 million downloads, reinforcing optimism that the company can build a large AI business and potentially monetize its user base. Analysts and commentators also continue to describe Meta as a leading contender in the personal-AI market. Zuckerberg’s Free AI Agent Hit 5 Million Downloads
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its Muse AI tools for small businesses, linking them to advertising, sales and business operations. The initiative could improve ad targeting and create new revenue opportunities as AI adoption grows. Meta Expands Muse for Small Businesses
• Positive Sentiment: Meta received favorable attention from analysts, including an upgrade that previously helped drive the stock higher. Its VR glasses support is also benefiting partners such as Unity Software, suggesting continued ecosystem momentum. Meta Stock Jumps Following Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Nebius reportedly signed a potential $27 billion AI-capacity agreement with Meta. The deal could secure computing resources for AI, but it also highlights the significant capital spending required to support Meta’s AI ambitions. Nebius Group Signs AI Capacity Deal With Meta
• Negative Sentiment: New Mexico prosecutors asked a judge to impose between $35 billion and $40 billion in penalties after a jury found Meta misled Facebook users about data privacy. The potential liability is the most immediate risk to the stock, although the final amount and appeals process remain unresolved. New Mexico Wants Meta to Pay Up to $40 Billion
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI’s launch of its competing Dots AI agent raises concerns that Meta’s early Muse momentum could face intensifying competition from OpenAI, Google and Apple. OpenAI Follows Meta Into Personal Agents

Meta Platforms Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.85 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.34, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $622.86 and a 200-day moving average of $615.28.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in META. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $69,502,379,000 after acquiring an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $34,734,628,000 after buying an additional 878,396 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth about $22,152,075,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.