Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) COO Sells $688,782.60 in Stock

Key Points

• Meta COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares at an average price of $728.10, generating $688,782.60. The transaction, made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reduced his direct holdings by 12.01% to 6,932 shares.
• Meta shares fell 3.3% to $737.54 during Wednesday trading, though the stock remains near its 52-week high. The company reported $60.80 billion in quarterly revenue, up 28% year over year, but missed analysts’ EPS expectations.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $801.53. However, concerns about rising AI and infrastructure spending are creating uncertainty around near-term free cash flow and valuation.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total value of $688,782.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 6,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,047,189.20. The trade was a 12.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through 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, 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 value of $457,974.90.
• 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 value of $457,962.32.
• On Monday, October 5th, Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was 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 stock was sold at an average price of $748.91, for a total value of $471,064.39.
• On Monday, September 28th, Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $750.42, for a total value of $709,897.32.
• On Monday, September 21st, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total value of $427,889.83.
• On Monday, September 21st, Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total value of $643,535.42.
• On Monday, September 14th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $657.73, for a total value of $413,712.17.
• On Monday, September 14th, Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $657.73, for a total value of $622,212.58.
• On Tuesday, September 8th, Javier Olivan sold 2,516 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $616.44, for a total value of $1,550,963.04.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 3.3%

META traded down $24.96 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $737.54. 16,114,396 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,509,559. The company has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $647.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $622.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. Meta Platforms's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full models are improving investor confidence in its ability to compete with OpenAI, Anthropic, and other leading AI developers. Muse Wonder scored 83.2% on an accounting benchmark, ranking second among 57 tested models. Muse Wonder AI benchmark article
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $810 target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850 and highlighted Meta’s progress relative to Anthropic. Truist also set a $1,000 bull-case target, reinforcing expectations that AI agents could create new revenue opportunities. Bank of America Meta AI outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded WhatsApp calling by allowing people without accounts to join free, end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls. The move removes registration, time-limit, and download barriers, potentially improving WhatsApp’s business and communications utility. WhatsApp guest calling article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly bullish but divided: Goldman Sachs cut its target to $762 while retaining Buy status, citing higher operating expenses; UBS, Guggenheim, KeyCorp, and Rosenblatt remain more optimistic. The conflicting revisions contributed to uncertainty after Meta’s recent rally. Meta analyst disagreement article
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are concerned that accelerating Meta Superintelligence Labs spending and broader infrastructure costs could pressure near-term free cash flow and compress Meta’s valuation multiple. The company’s shares are also trading near their 52-week high, leaving less room for execution disappointments ahead of third-quarter earnings on October 21.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Evercore raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. President Capital raised Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $801.53.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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