Key Points
- Meta CFO Susan Li sold 2,127 shares on May 15 at an average price of $618.43, totaling about $1.32 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and was tied to tax withholding on vested equity awards.
- Meta shares were trading lower around $602.61, down 1.4% on the day, while the company’s market cap remained about $1.52 trillion. The stock has traded between $520.26 and $796.25 over the past 52 weeks.
- Recent earnings showed strong performance, with Meta reporting $10.44 EPS on revenue of $56.31 billion, both ahead of expectations. Analysts still broadly rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $840.31.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) CFO Susan Li sold 2,127 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.43, for a total value of $1,315,400.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 15,346 shares in the company, valued at $9,490,426.78. The trade was a 12.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.
Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.4%
Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $602.61 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.35. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.52 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.25. The stock's fifty day moving average is $620.35 and its 200 day moving average is $637.91.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The business had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.43 EPS. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Westchester Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at $26,000. RHL Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Bayban boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 100.0% in the first quarter. Bayban now owns 70 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms have issued reports on META. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Arete Research reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $900.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $840.31.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on META
Meta Platforms News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Negative Sentiment: Meta began laying off about 8,000 employees, or roughly 10% of its workforce, as part of a broader AI-first transformation. The move highlights rising restructuring costs and suggests more cuts could follow later this year. Meta Begins Laying Off 8,000 Employees Amid A.I. Transformation
- Negative Sentiment: Reports that Meta is cutting jobs while ramping up AI investment have kept attention on margin pressure and the scale of the company’s AI spending bill, which some investors view as a near-term drag on earnings. Meta Moves 7,000 Workers Into AI Roles Ahead of Job Cuts
- Neutral Sentiment: Meta offered rival AI chatbot makers limited free access to WhatsApp in Europe before charging once usage limits are reached. The move could support platform engagement and developer adoption, but the financial impact is still unclear. Exclusive: Meta offers AI rival chatbots limited free WhatsApp access, sources say
- Neutral Sentiment: Meta also drew attention for new AI-related product and safety initiatives, including an incognito chat feature for WhatsApp’s AI assistant and new parental supervision tools, but these are not likely to move the stock in the near term. Meta Platforms (META) Launching Incognito Chat for WhatsApp AI Assistant
About Meta Platforms
(
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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