Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Trading Down 2.8% on Insider Selling

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) fell 2.8% during mid-day trading on Monday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $636.00 and last traded at $637.25. 8,545,671 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average session volume of 16,340,884 shares. The stock had previously closed at $655.66.

Specifically, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total transaction of $5,106,100.36. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 2,841 shares in the company, valued at $1,793,352.84. The trade was a 74.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $639.18, for a total transaction of $370,724.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 5,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,200,374.26. The trade was a 10.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $639.18, for a total transaction of $402,044.22. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 2,942 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,880,467.56. The trade was a 17.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on META shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $800.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $835.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $849.00 to $856.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $844.44.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525/share, payable March 26 — a direct shareholder-return action that can support investor sentiment and attract income-focused funds. Meta (META) Strengthens Investor Appeal With Dividend Payout and Platform Expansion Efforts
• Positive Sentiment: Billionaire investors and TV pundits are publicly backing Meta — Bill Ackman reportedly increased exposure and Jim Cramer highlighted Meta’s move toward its own cloud capability — signals of conviction that can buoy sentiment and attract longer-term flows. A Billionaire Just Bet Big on This AI Stock. Should Investors Follow Suit? Jim Cramer Believes Meta’s (META) Developing Its Own Cloud Business
• Positive Sentiment: Operationally, analysts and coverage note Meta’s AI could accelerate faster than expected and the company is scaling Nvidia chips in its data centers — supporting future ad/productivity gains from AI. Meta’s AI Might Catch Up Faster Than You Think Meta Platforms Just Gave Incredible News for Nebius Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector tailwind: Bridgewater expects Big Tech to invest roughly $650B in AI this year — supports a higher long-term TAM but means intense competition and heavy capex industry-wide. Big Tech to invest about $650 billion in AI in 2026, Bridgewater says
• Neutral Sentiment: Inclusion on buy-lists and “high-growth” roundups (multiple outlets) provides retail/ETF interest but these pieces are broad and not immediate catalysts. 3 High-Growth Stocks To By In February
• Negative Sentiment: Debt-funded AI buildout is drawing scrutiny — coverage highlights hyperscalers (including Meta) increasing debt to fund capex, which raises balance-sheet and bond-market concerns that could pressure multiples. How the AI debt binge shattered hyperscalers’ ‘unspoken contract’ with investors Meta Rakes It In, Yet Still Borrows Billions for AI
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk in India: the Supreme Court will hear Meta/WhatsApp appeals over a ₹213 crore penalty tied to privacy — potential fines and reputational/legal costs remain a risk in a key market. Indian Supreme Court To Hear Meta, WhatsApp Pleas Against ₹213 Crore Penalty Over Privacy Policy WhatsApp data privacy: SC to review Rs 213 crore CCI penalty and Meta’s appeals
• Negative Sentiment: Minor insider sell disclosed (director sold ~$370k) — not large enough to indicate broad insider concern but can be viewed negatively in short term. Insider Selling: Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Director Sells $370,724.40 in Stock

Meta Platforms Stock Down 2.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $1.61 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.12, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $656.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $689.03.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its 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. The business had revenue of $59.89 billion for 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 for the quarter was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.02 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 8.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Goldstone Financial Group LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 44.4% in the 3rd quarter. Goldstone Financial Group LLC now owns 3,752 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the period. CW Advisors LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 27.8% during the second quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 176,762 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $130,467,000 after buying an additional 38,432 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 34.2% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 52,252 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $38,373,000 after buying an additional 13,311 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in Meta Platforms by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 84,687 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $62,507,000 after acquiring an additional 4,473 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cherokee Insurance Co purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,321,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

About Meta Platforms

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.