Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) COO Sells $754,800.00 in Stock

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) COO Javier Olivan sold 1,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total value of $754,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 1,973 shares in the company, valued at $1,183,800. The trade was a 38.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Javier Olivan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 15th, Javier Olivan sold 140 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total transaction of $84,000.00.
• On Monday, June 1st, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.29, for a total transaction of $395,823.41.
• On Monday, June 1st, Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.29, for a total value of $526,715.73.
• On Tuesday, May 26th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $608.98, for a total value of $383,048.42.
• On Tuesday, May 26th, Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $608.98, for a total value of $509,716.26.
• On Monday, May 18th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total value of $383,281.15.
• On Monday, May 18th, Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total value of $510,025.95.
• On Monday, May 11th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $604.57, for a total value of $380,274.53.
• On Monday, May 11th, Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $604.57, for a total value of $559,831.82.
• On Monday, May 4th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.74, for a total value of $382,268.46.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META traded down $32.63 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $567.58. 20,261,694 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,249,872. The company has a market cap of $1.44 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $622.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $635.51. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 2.35.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $775.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $935.00 to $945.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $885.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $835.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $840.60.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Threads app reached 500 million monthly active users, and the company rolled out new features like Communities, custom app icons, and more feed controls, reinforcing growth across its social ecosystem. Reuters: Meta’s Threads reaches 500 million monthly users, rolls out new features
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new AI Mode search and creative tools could open up a fresh monetization opportunity, with some analysts saying the feature may eventually become a meaningful revenue driver. Proactive Investors: Meta introduces AI search and creative tools
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating, citing Meta’s AI strategy as a key growth catalyst, which supports the stock’s long-term bull case. Insider Monkey: BofA reiterates Buy rating on Meta Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to pay its next quarterly dividend on June 25, which is a shareholder-friendly update but unlikely to be the main stock driver. Finbold: Meta to pay dividends next week
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported that the head of product for Meta’s “AI for work” transformation is leaving, raising questions about execution and leadership continuity in a key AI initiative. Reuters: Meta head of product for ‘AI for work’ transformation is leaving company
• Negative Sentiment: Several market comments and analyst notes warned that Meta’s AI spending, Reality Labs losses, and a rich sales multiple are fueling valuation concerns, while broader “AI bubble” comparisons are pressuring Big Tech sentiment. Zacks: Meta Platforms is Overvalued at 5.5X PS 247WallSt: Jim Chanos compares AI boom to dot-com crash

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First National Bank Sioux Falls boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls now owns 2,001 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,321,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 984 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $649,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Vista Capital Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $794,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Arcataur Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Arcataur Capital Management LLC now owns 1,736 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,146,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Acorn Creek Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Acorn Creek Capital LLC now owns 2,118 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,398,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.