Insider Selling: Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) COO Sells 946 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

• Meta COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares at an average of $614.15, totaling about $581,000. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; he directly owned 4,094 shares afterward.
• Meta reported quarterly EPS of $7.40, above the $6.54 consensus, while revenue rose 26.1% year over year to $64.6 billion.
• Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $833.12. Meta is also raising debt to fund AI expansion, prompting concerns about borrowing costs and the returns on its investment.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total transaction of $580,985.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 4,094 shares in the company, valued at $2,514,330.10. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

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

• On Monday, November 2nd, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total transaction of $386,300.35.
• On Monday, October 26th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $640.00, for a total transaction of $402,560.00.
• On Monday, October 26th, Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $640.00, for a total transaction of $605,440.00.
• On Monday, October 19th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total transaction of $444,828.80.
• On Monday, October 19th, Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total transaction of $669,011.20.
• On Monday, October 12th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total transaction of $457,974.90.
• On Monday, October 12th, Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total transaction of $688,782.60.
• On Monday, October 5th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.08, for a total transaction of $457,962.32.
• On Monday, October 5th, Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.08, for a total value of $688,763.68.
• On Monday, September 28th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $748.91, for a total value of $471,064.39.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:META traded up $8.97 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $630.00. The company had a trading volume of 32,391,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,134,633. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $672.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $632.16. The stock has a market cap of $1.61 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.48, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.25 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.16%.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s debut euro-bond sale drew record orders as the company sought to raise about $9.2 billion. Strong demand may reassure investors that Meta can access capital to fund its AI expansion. Reuters: Meta draws record orders for debut euro bond sale
• Positive Sentiment: Meta acquired Conductor, an AI coding startup that uses multiple agents to build software projects in parallel. The deal could strengthen Meta’s AI tools and development capabilities; financial terms were not reported. TechCrunch: Meta acquires AI coding startup Conductor
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is changing its internal AI-model codenames from fruit names, a branding shift intended to project a more serious image as its AI capabilities advance. The move is unlikely to have a direct near-term financial effect. Business Insider: Meta isn't naming its AI models after fruit anymore
• Negative Sentiment: The euro issuance comes amid a broader borrowing push to finance AI infrastructure. Reports say Meta is seeking roughly $9.2 billion in euro debt after raising $15 billion in U.S. bonds; a reported 7.5% yield on 30-year debt highlights the potential cost of funding its expansion. Heavy AI spending could pressure cash flow and raise concerns about returns on investment. The Wall Street Journal: Meta seeks to raise $9.2 billion in debut euro bond sale

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on META. President Capital upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $920.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. DBA Trading LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth $2,901,000. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 335,132 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $243,031,000 after buying an additional 4,206 shares during the period. Gen Wealth Partners Inc grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.3% in the third quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 1,355 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Cpwa LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.2% in the third quarter. Cpwa LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $841,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torrey Growth & Income Advisors grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 12.3% in the third quarter. Torrey Growth & Income Advisors now owns 786 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $572,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company's principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.

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