Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Shares Down 2.1% – Here’s What Happened

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s share price traded down 2.1% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $686.41 and last traded at $691.70. 13,510,225 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 24% from the average session volume of 17,839,635 shares. The stock had previously closed at $706.41.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta reported a big Q4 beat and unusually strong guidance (management forecasted ~30% revenue growth next quarter), which underpins analyst optimism and explains buy-side interest. Meta Platforms Posted Its Fastest Growth Guide in Years—Now What?
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street support: Barclays reiterated an Overweight rating and Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $860, while other firms (Argus, etc.) reaffirmed buys — these upgrades are propping up the stock despite profit-taking. Barclays Keeps an Overweight rating on Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) Cantor Fitzgerald Hikes Price Target on Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) to $860 Argus/Benzinga note
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic infrastructure moves: Meta has deals to secure large-scale power (e.g., Oklo agreement for 1.2 GW) to support AI datacenters — this de‑risks capacity but implies big upfront payments and long-term commitments. Oklo-Meta Agreement
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: India’s top court questioned WhatsApp’s data‑sharing with other Meta entities and warned it could reimpose restrictions — a potential headwind for user trust and international regulatory exposure. India’s top court questions WhatsApp policy of sharing user data with Meta entities
• Negative Sentiment: AI capex and margin pressure: Several analysts and commentators warn that Meta’s heavy 2026 AI capex plan (data centers, chips, Reality Labs hardware) could weigh on near-term margins and cash flow despite revenue strength. That narrative is prompting some profit-taking. Meta: Still A ‘Buy,’ But Nearing The End Of Its Run As Expenses Mount AI Capex Clouds Tech Horizon

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on META. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $800.00 price objective (up previously from $770.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $754.00 to $849.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-one have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $848.50.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.74 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.43, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $653.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $696.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 2.60.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Saturday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total value of $1,590,690.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,962,956.64. This represents a 21.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction of $365,610.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 7,347 shares in the company, valued at $4,476,894.45. This trade represents a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 39,077 shares of company stock worth $23,955,958 over the last 90 days. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

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.