Key Points
- CFO Susan Li sold 18,789 Meta shares on Feb. 20 at an average of $650, generating about $12.21M and cutting her stake by 21.43% to 68,888 shares (~$44.78M).
- Strong quarterly results: Meta reported $8.88 EPS (vs. $8.16 expected) and $59.89B revenue (vs. $58.33B), with revenue up 23.8% year-over-year and a ~30% net margin.
- Dividend announced: Meta declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share (annualized $2.10, ~0.3% yield), payable March 26 with record/ex-dividend date on March 16.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) CFO Susan Li sold 18,789 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $650.00, for a total value of $12,212,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 68,888 shares in the company, valued at $44,777,200. The trade was a 21.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.3%
Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $639.30 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 2.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $656.11 and a 200-day moving average of $687.24. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $479.80 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The stock has a market cap of $1.62 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. The business had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The business's revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.02 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 8.94%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several brokerages have weighed in on META. Benchmark cut Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $835.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Three equities 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. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $844.44.
Get Our Latest Report on META
Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Big AI chip deal with AMD: Meta agreed to a multiyear supply/partnership to deploy up to ~6 GW of AMD AI GPUs and could purchase as much as 10% of AMD, representing billions in committed chip spend that diversifies Meta’s supplier base and validates its large-scale AI buildout. VIEW AMD secures Meta as next big AI chip customer
- Positive Sentiment: Shareholder return: Meta declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share, payable March 26, which supports total-return investors and can help underpin the stock during AI‑capex cycles. Meta (META) Strengthens Investor Appeal With Dividend Payout
- Neutral Sentiment: Stablecoin/payments push: Multiple reports say Meta is preparing to re-enter payments with stablecoin integration across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp potentially in H2 2026 — a longer‑term monetization opportunity but subject to partner deals and regulatory scrutiny. Meta Hopes to Launch Stablecoin Payments Project This Year
- Neutral Sentiment: Renewable power deal: Meta signed a long-term offtake for an 80 MW solar project in Pennsylvania to support US data‑center operations — positive for operations/ESG but limited immediate financial impact. MN8 Energy Supports Meta's U.S. Data Center Operations
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment: Consensus analyst coverage remains positive-to-cautious (consensus "Moderate Buy"), suggesting Wall Street sees upside tied to AI execution but also recognizes valuation and capex risks. Meta Platforms Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy"
- Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,789 shares (~$12.2M at ~$650 average), lowering her stake ~21%; insider sales can raise concern about executive conviction despite routine explanations. SEC filing: Susan J. Li sale
- Negative Sentiment: Legal/reputational risk: Court filings show internal warnings that planned end‑to‑end encryption could impede reporting of child‑exploitation cases, heightening regulatory and litigation risk that could create headlines and potential compliance costs. Meta executive warned Facebook Messenger encryption plan was 'so irresponsible'
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 3,506 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,587,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co of the South raised its position in Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the third quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,850 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,359,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 1.6% in the third quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 4,301 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $3,159,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.2% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 454 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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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