Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report)’s stock price shot up 5.1% during mid-day trading on Monday. The stock traded as high as $647.25 and last traded at $641.37. Approximately 18,833,844 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 4% from the average daily volume of 18,175,576 shares. The stock had previously closed at $610.15.
Top Meta Platforms Stories
Investors following META have been watching these stories:
- Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan named Meta its preferred internet stock, citing AI-driven advertising performance and potential strength in Family of Apps ad revenue. The endorsement supports the view that Meta’s advertising business can continue to benefit from AI. Meta Platforms wins JPMorgan backing
- Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure chief and engineering co-head Santosh Janardhan plans to leave in early 2027. Former AWS executive David Brown is set to succeed him and lead infrastructure, including work tied to Meta’s compute initiative. The transition comes as Meta scales its AI infrastructure; Brown’s experience may help, but investors will watch for execution and continuity. Meta head of infrastructure will leave and be succeeded by former AWS cloud exec
- Negative Sentiment: A Brazilian electoral court reportedly fined Facebook over allegations that it failed to provide equal content during a presidential campaign. The penalty adds regulatory and reputational risk, though the supplied report does not specify the fine amount. Meta fined by Brazil electoral court
Analysts Set New Price Targets
META has been the subject of several recent research reports. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $886.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $845.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $580.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $850.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $885.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $833.12.
Meta Platforms Stock Performance
The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The business’s fifty day moving average is $677.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $632.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.28.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.25 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.16%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 149,398 shares of company stock worth $102,134,435. 13.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms
Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Patron Partners LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.0% during the third quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 2,610 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,893,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Red Oak Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $208,000. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,861 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,426,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth about $167,746,000. Finally, Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 68,003 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $49,314,000 after purchasing an additional 9,073 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
About Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms, Inc. is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world. The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta’s business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.
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