Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) COO Sells $369,448.20 in Stock

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.60, for a total value of $369,448.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,870,879. The trade was a 5.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Javier Olivan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, January 26th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $665.00, for a total transaction of $343,805.00.
• On Tuesday, January 20th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $608.35, for a total transaction of $314,516.95.
• On Monday, January 12th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $653.00, for a total value of $337,601.00.
• On Monday, January 5th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $650.41, for a total value of $336,261.97.
• On Monday, December 29th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $658.14, for a total transaction of $340,258.38.
• On Monday, December 22nd, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $661.11, for a total transaction of $341,793.87.
• On Monday, December 15th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $646.00, for a total value of $333,982.00.
• On Monday, December 8th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $669.63, for a total transaction of $346,198.71.
• On Monday, December 1st, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $639.03, for a total value of $330,378.51.
• On Monday, November 24th, Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $598.54, for a total transaction of $309,445.18.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 3.3%

NASDAQ:META traded down $22.71 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $668.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 16,831,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,807,568. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 2.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.69 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.47, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $655.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $695.91. 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.02 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 8.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Westchester Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta appears to be monetizing AI better than some big rivals, a narrative that supports higher revenue per user and stronger ad/AI product monetization going forward. Meta Beats Microsoft At AI Monetization – Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Company guidance and Q4 results remain a tailwind: Meta gave a rare ~30% sales growth guide for the next quarter and beat Q4 estimates, prompting analysts to lift price targets and underpin upside expectations. Meta Platforms Posted Its Fastest Growth Guide in Years—Now What?
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerages and independent analysts remain constructive — recent notes include Cantor Fitzgerald raising its price target (and other firms reiterating/maintaining Overweight or Buy views), which supports investor confidence. Cantor Fitzgerald Hikes Price Target on Meta Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional demand: Davis Selected Advisers boosted its Meta stake, signaling confidence from a long‑only value manager and contributing to buying pressure. Davis Selected Advisers boosts Meta Platforms stake
• Positive Sentiment: Energy/operations: Meta expanded a renewable PPA in Texas (Skull Creek), supporting its 100% clean-energy matching and potentially lowering future power cost/ESG risk for hyperscale operations. Zelestra Expands Relationship with Meta in the US
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/geography: Analysts are re-examining Meta’s growing reliance on international sales — an important nuance for revenue sensitivity to FX, regional ad demand, and differing growth dynamics outside the U.S. Meta Platforms (META) Reliance on International Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Talent/ecosystem: Former Meta leaders are backing new AI workplace startups, reflecting strong alumni confidence in AI opportunity but with limited direct impact on Meta’s near-term earnings. Sandberg, other Meta vets invest in AI workplace communications startup
• Negative Sentiment: Costs and capex pressure: Some analysts warn rising AI-related spending and mounting expenses could compress margins over 2026 even as revenue grows — a factor that tempers valuation upside. Meta: Still A ‘Buy,’ But Nearing The End Of Its Run As Expenses Mount
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk: India’s top court questioned WhatsApp’s data‑sharing practices with Meta entities — a legal/regulatory overhang that could lead to fines, restrictions or operational changes in a large market. India’s top court questions WhatsApp policy of sharing user data with Meta entities

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on META shares. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-one have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $848.50.

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.