Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Shares Down 2.5% Following Insider Selling
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyMeta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) shares dropped 2.5% during trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $636.90 and last traded at $638.18. 11,210,121 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the average session volume of 15,053,466 shares. The stock had previously closed at $654.86.
Specifically, COO Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $634.94, for a total transaction of $399,377.26. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 2,771 shares in the company, valued at $1,759,418.74. This represents a 18.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $634.94, for a total value of $587,954.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,642,833.78. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Scotiabank increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $685.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Pivotal Research cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $910.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $844.44.
Read Our Latest Research Report on Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Meta unveiled a roadmap for four new in‑house AI inference chips (MTIA 300/400/450/500) designed to accelerate generative AI workloads and reduce reliance on third‑party hardware — a move that can lower long‑term inference costs and improve margins. Meta unveils plans for batch of in-house AI chips
- Positive Sentiment: Research commentary (Evercore/Barron’s coverage) argues internet names including Meta may be oversold amid AI and geopolitical worries, which could attract value buyers if the AI monetization story continues to progress. Amazon, Uber, and Other Internet Stocks Look Too Cheap After AI and Iran Worries
- Positive Sentiment: Meta rolled out AI‑powered scam detection across Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger — a product move that can improve user trust, reduce fraud losses, and ease regulatory scrutiny over platform safety. Meta Rolls Out New Scam Alerts Across Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger
- Neutral Sentiment: Meta acquired Moltbook, a niche social network for AI agents — strategic for AI research/talent and experimentation, but currently more of a technology/talent play than a material revenue driver. Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents
- Negative Sentiment: UK media and privacy regulators told Meta and other platforms to do more to keep children off services, signaling increasing regulatory pressure and potential compliance costs or product restrictions in key markets. UK watchdogs press Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube to block children
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: COO Javier Oliván disclosed sales of multiple blocks of META shares (filed with the SEC), which investors sometimes view as a near‑term bearish signal even if sales are routine. SEC Filing – Javier Olivan insider sale
- Negative Sentiment: High-profile commentary (Jim Cramer) questioned why Meta still employs ~78,000 people if AI can drastically boost productivity — stirring investor concern about potential restructuring, job cuts, or execution risks tied to AI transitions. Cramer: Why does Meta need 78,000 employees if AI makes them 10x more productive?
Meta Platforms Price Performance
The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.16, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $654.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $679.16.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.02 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect 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 issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 8.94%.
Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in META. Westchester Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. RHL Group LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth 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. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
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.