Insider Selling: Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) COO Sells $560,581.88 in Stock

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $605.38, for a total transaction of $560,581.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 13,335 shares in the company, valued at $8,072,742.30. This represents a 6.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

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

• On Monday, March 23rd, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $605.38, for a total value of $380,784.02.
• On Monday, March 16th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $632.02, for a total value of $397,540.58.
• On Monday, March 16th, Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $632.02, for a total value of $585,250.52.
• On Monday, March 9th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $634.94, for a total value of $399,377.26.
• On Monday, March 9th, Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $634.94, for a total value of $587,954.44.
• On Monday, March 2nd, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $637.21, for a total value of $400,805.09.
• On Monday, March 2nd, Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $637.21, for a total value of $590,056.46.
• On Monday, February 23rd, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $652.68, for a total value of $410,535.72.
• On Monday, February 23rd, Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $652.68, for a total transaction of $604,381.68.
• On Tuesday, February 17th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $639.18, for a total transaction of $402,044.22.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of META traded up $1.97 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $594.89. The stock had a trading volume of 12,546,168 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,800,681. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $647.70 and its 200 day moving average is $670.27. The firm has a market cap of $1.50 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60. 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 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 firm had revenue of $59.89 billion during 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 firm’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 earned $8.02 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 8.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of META. Westchester Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth about $26,000. RHL Group LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on META. Arete Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $860.00 price objective (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Four investment 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $846.63.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta signed on as the launch customer/co-developer for Arm’s new AGI CPU, which de-risks Arm’s data-center push and signals Meta is securing bespoke AI infrastructure to lower long‑term AI costs and improve performance. Arm launches first own-brand chip with Meta as launch customer
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is rolling out AI initiatives for commerce and small businesses (Meta Small Business, AI shopping tools), and is integrating AI across workflows — developments investors view as revenue‑accretive and margin‑supporting over time. Meta launches new initiative to support entrepreneurship, drive AI adoption
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta granted performance‑tied stock awards and options to senior executives to retain talent during the AI race; markets see this as a retention positive but with aggressive targets (and potential dilution) embedded. Meta grants senior executives stock awards to retain talent
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Meta will cut several hundred roles (and unconfirmed reports of up to 20% headcount reductions) are being parsed as either necessary cost discipline amid huge AI CapEx or a sign of execution risk; investors are treating this as a mixed signal. Meta to lay off hundreds of employees
• Negative Sentiment: A New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million after finding the company violated state consumer‑protection laws by enabling sexual exploitation of minors — a headline legal loss that increases litigation and reputational risk. Meta found liable in child exploitation case, ordered to pay $375 million
• Negative Sentiment: In a separate Los Angeles bellwether, jurors found Meta negligent in a youth social‑media addiction case and assessed punitive/compensatory damages (including a $2.1M punitive share for Meta), underscoring broader industry legal exposure that could prompt future damages or regulation. Jury Orders $3 Million in Punitive Damages Against Meta and YouTube
• Negative Sentiment: China has restricted founders of Manus amid a regulatory review of Meta’s acquisition, potentially delaying integration of AI talent and adding geopolitical execution risk. China bars Manus co-founders from leaving country as it reviews sale to Meta

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.