Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. Sells Off Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Stock

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (Democratic-California) recently sold shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META). In a filing disclosed on September 10th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Meta Platforms stock on August 20th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “150 MAIN STREET TRUST > BANK OF AMERICA” account.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of DoorDash (NASDAQ:DASH) on 8/28/2026.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Quanta Services (NYSE:PWR) on 8/27/2026.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Eaton (NYSE:ETN) on 8/27/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of NIKE (NYSE:NKE) on 8/27/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Phreesia (NYSE:PHR) on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Wheaton Precious Metals (NYSE:WPM) on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 8/26/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) on 8/25/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Phreesia (NYSE:PHR) on 8/25/2026.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock traded up $3.65 during trading on Friday, hitting $648.03. 16,906,126 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,049,456. 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 P/E ratio of 24.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $601.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $608.94. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued 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). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $869,922.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,957 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,092,006. This trade represents a 44.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 61,581 shares of company stock worth $37,512,295. Insiders own 13.53% 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 brokerages recently commented on META. Mizuho set a $750.00 price objective on Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank raised Meta Platforms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Friday. Four investment 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $787.54.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. RHL Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Representative Cisneros

Gil Cisneros (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California’s 31st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Cisneros (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent California’s 31st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Gil Cisneros served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer from 1994 to 2004. Cisneros earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from George Washington University in 1994, a master’s in business administration from Regis University in 2002, and a master’s degree in urban education policy from Brown University in 2015. His career experience includes working as a logistics manager for Frito-Lay. In 2010, Cisneros won the lottery and became involved in activism and philanthropy, founding a scholarship program for local high school students. In 2021, President Joe Biden (D) appointed Cisneros as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

About Meta Platforms

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.