Key Points
- Javier Olivan sold 517 Meta shares on Jan. 26 at an average price of $665 (proceeds $343,805), trimming his stake by 4.85% to 10,132 shares (~$6.74M); the sale is part of a series of identical 517‑share disposals in recent weeks.
- Meta posted a strong Q4 (EPS $8.88, revenue $59.89B) and gave upbeat near‑term guidance, but faces margin pressure from Reality Labs' multi‑billion losses and a planned, large increase in AI capex (management cited a $115B–$135B buildout range), which raises near‑term return concerns.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $665.00, for a total value of $343,805.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 10,132 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,737,780. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.
Javier Olivan also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Tuesday, January 20th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $608.35, for a total value of $314,516.95.
- On Monday, January 12th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $653.00, for a total transaction of $337,601.00.
- On Monday, January 5th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $650.41, for a total value of $336,261.97.
- On Monday, December 29th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $658.14, for a total value of $340,258.38.
- On Monday, December 22nd, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $661.11, for a total value of $341,793.87.
- On Monday, December 15th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $646.00, for a total transaction of $333,982.00.
- On Monday, December 8th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $669.63, for a total transaction of $346,198.71.
- On Monday, December 1st, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $639.03, for a total value of $330,378.51.
- On Monday, November 24th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $598.54, for a total value of $309,445.18.
- On Monday, November 17th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $604.23, for a total transaction of $312,386.91.
Meta Platforms Price Performance
NASDAQ META opened at $668.73 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $646.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $695.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.69 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.54, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $479.80 and a 1-year high of $796.25.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 30.89%.The business had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $8.02 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict 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 was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 9.28%.
Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 192,591,101 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $142,149,566,000 after purchasing an additional 1,532,568 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $64,158,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650,435 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 51,575,209 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $37,902,948,000 after purchasing an additional 682,768 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.7% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 39,247,690 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $28,823,375,000 after purchasing an additional 278,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $23,155,393,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
META has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $800.00 target price for the company. Arete Research set a $718.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $800.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $822.00.
Get Our Latest Report on META
Meta Platforms News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q4 results materially beat expectations: revenue roughly $59.9B and EPS of $8.88, plus first‑quarter revenue guidance above consensus ($53.5B–$56.5B). Strong ad momentum and user metrics support the core business. CNBC: Meta beats on top, bottom lines, gives stronger-than-expected forecast
- Positive Sentiment: Wall Street reaction includes fresh bullish calls and upgrades ahead of/after the print, reflecting confidence in ad recovery and AI-driven monetization. Evercore reiterates outperform
- Neutral Sentiment: Meta is testing premium subscription tiers across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp to diversify revenue and add AI features — a potential long‑term positive but unclear near‑term impact. CNBC: Meta to test premium subscription plans
- Neutral Sentiment: Large supplier deals (e.g., up to $6B with Corning for fiber‑optic cable) validate Meta’s AI data‑center buildout but also signal sustained capital intensity. CNBC: Corning deal
- Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs continues to be a heavy drag: an operating loss of about $6.02B in Q4 and management disclosing multi‑billion‑dollar losses tied to XR investments. That amplifies margin risk. CNBC: Reality Labs loss
- Negative Sentiment: Meta signaled a dramatic increase in AI capex for 2026 (management cited a $115B–$135B buildout range), a front‑loaded spending plan that raises questions about near‑term returns and margin dilution. Reuters: Capex rise
- Negative Sentiment: Earlier TechCrunch reporting shows Reality Labs burned roughly $19B in recent periods and layoffs in that unit — a reminder that XR investment remains costly and uncertain. TechCrunch: $19B VR burn
- Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares (small amount relative to his holdings) — a minor negative signal that some investors will note. SEC filing
Meta Platforms Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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