Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock: Insider Mark Zuckerberg Sells 27,474 Shares

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META traded down $36.04 during trading on Monday, reaching $715.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 27,677,978 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,129,420. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $616.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $613.27. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market cap of $1.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.14 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS 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 issued a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

META has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. China Renaissance lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. President Capital upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $640.00 to $796.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Citizens Jmp increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $787.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $34,734,628,000 after buying an additional 878,396 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $22,152,075,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched the Meta Enterprise Platform, offering businesses and developers access to its Muse AI agent, Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code. The company hired MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the initiative, signaling an effort to generate revenue from its multibillion-dollar AI investments beyond advertising. Meta launches enterprise AI platform
• Positive Sentiment: Muse’s integration across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp is supporting rapid user adoption; the AI-powered app reportedly reached the top spot in the U.S. App Store. Analysts also see potential revenue from subscriptions, transaction fees, enterprise tools and commercial API licensing. Meta Platforms boosts ad engagement with AI
• Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its price target on META to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating, citing the company’s AI opportunity and expanding ecosystem. AI improvements are also reportedly increasing ad engagement, clicks and conversions. Meta Platforms price target raised
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over Meta’s AI strategy. Bullish analysts expect new AI agents, smart glasses and enterprise software to create additional revenue streams, while others question whether the returns will justify the investment.
• Negative Sentiment: Capital expenditures rose sharply to $31.1 billion in the second quarter from $19.4 billion a year earlier. The scale of data-center and AI spending is raising concerns about returns on capital and near-term margins. Meta Platforms: Are You Going to Buy the Promise?
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that OpenAI is developing a competing AI assistant intensified competitive concerns. Separately, alleged Muse disclosures of private messages and a user’s address have triggered privacy and safety criticism, potentially creating regulatory and reputational risks. Elon Musk amplifies privacy concerns over Muse
• Negative Sentiment: Meta also faces legal and political overhang after a New Mexico jury found that Facebook misled residents about personal-data practices, while lawmakers are questioning AI and data-center tax subsidies. Recent gains have additionally left the valuation less compelling, increasing sensitivity to execution disappointments.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.