Rep. Rick Larsen Buys Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)

Representative Rick Larsen (D-Washington) recently bought shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META). In a filing disclosed on January 14th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Meta Platforms stock on January 7th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “RICHARD R LARSEN IRA” account.

Representative Rick Larsen also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) on 1/7/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) on 1/7/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) on 1/7/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) on 1/7/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM) on 1/7/2026.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $620.80 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.42, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $641.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $701.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 1.98. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $479.80 and a fifty-two week high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $51.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 30.89%.The company’s revenue was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.03 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.28%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Big‑tech energy partnerships reduce a major execution risk for Meta’s planned AI/data‑center buildout by securing long‑term baseload power and prepayment support — lowers power/capex uncertainty for Meta Compute. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Additional nuclear supply/partner signals (Terrapower reports) similarly bolster Meta’s ability to scale tens/hundreds of gigawatts for AI compute — a strategic enabler for long‑term AI ambitions. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wikimedia signed deals giving major AI developers access to Wikipedia content (Meta is a partner) — improves training data access and reduces a content‑quality/permission risk for LLM work. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain bullish and have reaffirmed/raised targets (e.g., Rosenblatt), supporting upside expectations if Meta’s AI investments translate into ad or device monetization. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta Compute — Zuckerberg’s large new data‑center initiative — clarifies strategy (control over AI compute) but implies materially higher capex and longer payback; investors will watch execution and FCF impact. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming quarterly results (Q4 & full‑year 2025) are set for Jan. 28 — a near‑term catalyst that could confirm ad momentum or quantify 2026 capex guidance. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs cuts (~1,500 jobs, ~10% of the division) signal a pullback from metaverse projects; saves costs but raises execution and product risk for VR/metaverse roadmaps and could weigh on sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts trimmed targets and issued pessimistic forecasts citing very large 2026 capex and falling free cash flow — creating pressure and increased volatility ahead of results. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by COO Javier Oliván (recent small, repeated sales disclosed) can amplify short‑term selling narratives even if transactions are routine. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing regulatory/legal matters (e.g., WhatsApp appeals, global scrutiny) remain background risks that could add costs or limit product rollouts in key markets. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on META. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $808.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $870.00 price target (down previously from $900.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $800.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $822.96.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $646.00, for a total value of $374,680.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,983,882. This trade represents a 8.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total transaction of $341,860.11. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 28,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,876,738.02. This represents a 1.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 40,571 shares of company stock worth $25,137,541 over the last three months. Insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of META. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 192,591,101 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $142,149,566,000 after acquiring an additional 1,532,568 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $64,158,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650,435 shares during the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 608,429.2% in the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 59,775,823 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $44,119,937,000 after purchasing an additional 59,766,000 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 51,575,209 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $37,902,948,000 after purchasing an additional 682,768 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 39,247,690 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $28,823,375,000 after purchasing an additional 278,180 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Larsen

Rick Larsen (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Washington’s 2nd Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2001. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Larsen (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Washington’s 2nd Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Since at least 2011, Larsen has been assigned to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Larsen’s first position as an elected official was in 1998 as a member of the Snohomish County Council.

Larsen earned his bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University. After earning his master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Minnesota, Larsen worked as the director of public affairs for the Washington State Dental Association and then as an economic development official with the Port of Everett. He went on to serve on the Snohomish County Council before seeking election to the U.S. House.

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.