Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Shares Down 3.3% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) traded down 3.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $667.46 and last traded at $668.99. 16,519,606 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 7% from the average session volume of 17,793,797 shares. The stock had previously closed at $691.70.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta appears to be monetizing AI faster than peers, giving it an edge on ad and platform revenue growth versus Microsoft — a potential catalyst for higher sales and margins. Meta Beats Microsoft At AI Monetization – Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and funds are backing the story: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $860 and Barclays, Argus and others have reiterated/maintained bullish ratings; Davis Selected Advisers increased its META stake — all supportive for investor sentiment. Cantor Fitzgerald Hikes Price Target on Meta Platforms to $860
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded renewable-energy agreements (new PPA with Zelestra for the 176 MWdc Skull Creek solar plant), and earlier announced large power agreements with SMR developers — reduces energy risk for AI/cloud growth and can improve long‑term unit economics. Zelestra Expands Relationship with Meta in the US, with a New Power Purchase Agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s overseas revenue mix is evolving; higher international exposure creates currency and regulatory variability that can amplify guidance swings but also opens growth avenues. Meta Platforms (META) Reliance on International Sales: What Investors Need To Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Former Meta executives (including Sheryl Sandberg–backed investors) are funding AI/enterprise startups — a sign of talent recycling but not an immediate headwind or tailwind to META’s core business. Sandberg, other Meta vets invest in AI workplace communications startup
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: India’s top court signaled it may reimpose limits on WhatsApp’s data sharing with Meta entities — a concrete legal/regulatory overhang for user‑data dependent services. India’s top court questions WhatsApp policy of sharing user data with Meta entities
• Negative Sentiment: Cost and capex pressure: analysts warn that rising AI-related spending and higher operating expenses could compress near‑term margins, moderating the valuation premium despite strong revenue guidance. Meta: Still A ‘Buy,’ But Nearing The End Of Its Run As Expenses Mount
• Negative Sentiment: Sector-level capex worries (AI power and infrastructure needs) are weighing on tech multiples and creating rotation concerns even as Meta and others report strong results. AI Capex Clouds Tech Horizon, Even as Meta and Tesla Shine

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the topic of several recent research reports. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $872.00 price target (up from $830.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Benchmark downgraded Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-one have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $848.50.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.69 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $655.04 and its 200 day moving average is $695.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 726 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $591.60, for a total transaction of $429,501.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,570,306. The trade was a 10.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total value of $365,610.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,476,894.45. This represents a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 39,077 shares of company stock valued at $23,955,958. 13.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Goldstone Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 44.4% in the 3rd quarter. Goldstone Financial Group LLC now owns 3,752 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 27.8% in the second quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 176,762 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $130,467,000 after buying an additional 38,432 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 11.0% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 210,526 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $155,387,000 after buying an additional 20,912 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.6% during the second quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 84,687 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $62,507,000 after acquiring an additional 4,473 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC now owns 2,080 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,535,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.