Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price Down 2.8% Following Insider Selling

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) traded down 2.8% during trading on Monday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company 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 Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $639.18, for a total transaction of $370,724.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 5,007 shares in the company, valued at $3,200,374.26. The trade was a 10.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $639.18, for a total value of $402,044.22. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $900.00 price objective (up from $870.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $900.00 price objective (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $844.44.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Big AI chip deal with AMD: Meta agreed to a multiyear supply/partnership to deploy up to ~6 GW of AMD AI GPUs and could purchase as much as 10% of AMD, representing billions in committed chip spend that diversifies Meta’s supplier base and validates its large-scale AI buildout. VIEW AMD secures Meta as next big AI chip customer
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder return: Meta declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share, payable March 26, which supports total-return investors and can help underpin the stock during AI‑capex cycles. Meta (META) Strengthens Investor Appeal With Dividend Payout
• Neutral Sentiment: Stablecoin/payments push: Multiple reports say Meta is preparing to re-enter payments with stablecoin integration across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp potentially in H2 2026 — a longer‑term monetization opportunity but subject to partner deals and regulatory scrutiny. Meta Hopes to Launch Stablecoin Payments Project This Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Renewable power deal: Meta signed a long-term offtake for an 80 MW solar project in Pennsylvania to support US data‑center operations — positive for operations/ESG but limited immediate financial impact. MN8 Energy Supports Meta’s U.S. Data Center Operations
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment: Consensus analyst coverage remains positive-to-cautious (consensus “Moderate Buy”), suggesting Wall Street sees upside tied to AI execution but also recognizes valuation and capex risks. Meta Platforms Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy”
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,789 shares (~$12.2M at ~$650 average), lowering her stake ~21%; insider sales can raise concern about executive conviction despite routine explanations. SEC filing: Susan J. Li sale
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/reputational risk: Court filings show internal warnings that planned end‑to‑end encryption could impede reporting of child‑exploitation cases, heightening regulatory and litigation risk that could create headlines and potential compliance costs. Meta executive warned Facebook Messenger encryption plan was ‘so irresponsible’

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.62 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. The company’s 50 day moving average is $656.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $687.24. The company has a quick ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. The business had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. Meta Platforms’s quarterly revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.02 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 48.0% during the fourth quarter. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. now owns 435 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Ketron Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth $9,670,000. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 4,179 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,663,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Wealth Management Group Inc increased its position in Meta Platforms by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Barnes Wealth Management Group Inc now owns 2,110 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,393,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Trading Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at about $9,936,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.