Key Points
- Meta insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares for approximately $13.0 million at an average price of $650.28 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. He retained 244,516 shares worth about $159.0 million.
- Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year and above estimates, but earnings per share of $6.18 missed the $7.19 consensus forecast.
- The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while investors remain focused on the growth potential of its AI agent Muse and related AI infrastructure investments. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $787.54.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total transaction of $13,005,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 244,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $159,003,864.48. This represents a 7.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Meta Platforms Price Performance
NASDAQ META opened at $648.03 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $790.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.25. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $601.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $608.94.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid 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 of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.91%.
Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RHL Group LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.
Meta Platforms News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Muse gains early consumer traction: Meta’s new AI agent reportedly reached No. 2 or No. 3 on the U.S. App Store shortly after its launch. Muse can interact with social platforms and outside services, while paid tiers priced at $20 and $100 per month create a potential new revenue stream beyond advertising. Meta's AI agent Muse is now the No. 2 app in the US
- Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded the stock: JPMorgan raised Meta to Overweight from Neutral and increased its price target to $820, citing meaningful growth potential from frontier AI models and agentic products. The upgrade helped reinforce the bullish view that Meta can diversify beyond advertising. JPMorgan upgrades Meta on AI models and agents
- Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure optionality: Analysts believe Meta’s large AI-compute investments could eventually support a cloud-computing or infrastructure business, adding an opportunity not currently reflected in the valuation. The company’s strong revenue growth and substantial cash resources support this investment thesis.
- Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Meta announced a $0.525-per-share dividend payable September 28 to shareholders of record September 21. While the yield is modest, the payout signals confidence in ongoing cash generation.
- Neutral Sentiment: Legal settlement viewed as manageable: Commentary suggests Meta’s potential $18 billion social-media-addiction settlement, spread over a decade, may have a limited impact on annual free cash flow. Resolving the litigation could also remove an overhang, but the headline liability remains material.
- Negative Sentiment: Monetization and privacy concerns: Muse’s usefulness depends on access to users’ inboxes, accounts and payments, raising adoption and privacy questions. Analysts remain uncertain about conversion rates and near-term revenue.
- Negative Sentiment: AI execution and regulatory risks: A prominent AI researcher is leaving Meta for Anthropic, while an internal effort to capture employee screens for AI training reportedly triggered resistance. Meta is also discussing possible teen social-media restrictions in South Korea, and TikTok rejected Meta advertisements urging participation in a child-safety settlement.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts recently weighed in on META shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $725.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Meta Platforms from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $787.54.
Read Our Latest Report on Meta Platforms
About Meta Platforms
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Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.
Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.
The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.
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