Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Falls 3.7% – What’s Next?

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) traded down 3.7% on Friday. The stock traded as low as $702.71 and last traded at $709.33. Approximately 19,957,037 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 14% from the average session volume of 17,519,176 shares. The stock had previously closed at $736.72.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI partnership and product launch: Meta’s open-weight Muse Spark model can run locally on high-end Apple Macs, expanding developer access and potentially strengthening Meta’s AI ecosystem. Meta also released a version focused on coding and AI-agent tasks. Apple and Meta team up to make Muse AI model run on Mac computers
• Positive Sentiment: Advertising outlook remains favorable: Bank of America expects third-quarter revenue of $63.8 billion, above the $63.3 billion consensus estimate, citing AI-driven improvements in advertising, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and assigned a $920 price target, implying substantial upside from the recent trading level. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta Overweight rating

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on META. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their price target on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. New Street Research dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $808.88.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a fifty day moving average of $653.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $625.27.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total value of $688,782.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 6,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,047,189.20. The trade was a 12.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their position. 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 90 days, insiders sold 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the third quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 15,373 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $11,148,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Intelligence LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.6% during the third quarter. Wealth Intelligence LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,037,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 1,637 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. James T. Borello RIA increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. James T. Borello RIA now owns 718 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $521,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cyr Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 8.9% during the third quarter. Cyr Financial Inc. now owns 2,219 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,609,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.