Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price Down 2% – Time to Sell?

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s share price dropped 2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $627.97 and last traded at $628.77. Approximately 15,194,843 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the average daily volume of 18,139,441 shares. The stock had previously closed at $641.39.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

Here are a few of the latest headlines about META:

• Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan plans to leave in early 2027, with former AWS executive David Brown slated to take over. The planned succession provides a replacement, but the leadership change comes as Meta expands its AI computing infrastructure. Meta infrastructure leadership transition
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta brought its Muse AI assistant to Apple Watch and Wear OS, extending access to its AI products. Wider distribution could aid adoption, though the near-term financial impact is unclear. Muse arrives on smartwatches
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s Facebook was fined by Brazil’s electoral court over alleged unequal content provision during a presidential campaign. The penalty adds regulatory risk; the report also notes Meta’s response. Brazil electoral court fine

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $850.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $885.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $1.61 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $677.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $632.27.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.25 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total transaction of $580,985.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 4,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,514,330.10. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 149,398 shares of company stock valued at $102,134,435 in the last 90 days. 13.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth $33,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 116.7% during the third quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. now owns 52 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc. is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world. The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta’s business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.