Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) CFO Susan Li Sells 55,702 Shares of Stock

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) CFO Susan Li sold 55,702 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.61, for a total value of $35,293,344.22. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,354,781.46. This represents a 80.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of META stock traded up $3.32 on Thursday, reaching $657.01. 10,589,693 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,896,298. The stock has a market cap of $1.66 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $656.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $687.00. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $479.80 and a 1-year high of $796.25.

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 company had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $8.02 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westchester Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. RHL Group LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $872.00 price target (up from $830.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $844.44.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large AMD AI deal accelerates Meta’s model‑compute scale and validates its multiyear AI capex push — analysts see this as a structural positive for ad/AI monetization despite higher near‑term spend. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and lower short interest provide a technical/behavioral floor — Meta’s quarterly payout and a 16.5% drop in February short interest reduce downside selling pressure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Instagram will begin alerting parents when teens repeatedly search for self‑harm terms — a compliance/PR move that may reduce regulatory heat but could also spur policy scrutiny and product changes. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta filed suits and took technical actions against advertisers accused of celebrity‑impersonation scams — helps limit fraud exposure and platform risk but is not material to near‑term revenue. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management investor events and ongoing renewable power and White House data‑center talks keep engagement with regulators and investors active — useful for long‑term ops/ESG but limited immediate earnings impact. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Landmark LA trial: a plaintiff is testifying that Instagram (Meta) harmed her as a child — ongoing litigation increases reputational and potential financial risk if rulings widen liability or prompt stricter regulation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal setbacks in Europe: an EU court adviser sided against Meta’s challenge to antitrust data requests, signaling tougher reviews in the region. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by senior executives (CFO Susan Li and recent COO filings) may raise investor concern over timing and conviction even if routine liquidity is the reason; such sales can weigh sentiment near term. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Public revelations suggesting Meta tried to limit questioning about executive wealth in court filings add reputational risk and could intensify negative headlines during trials. Read More.

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.