Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Insider Christopher Cox Sells 20,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Meta insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares at an average price of $650.28, generating approximately $13.0 million. The transaction, made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reduced his ownership by 7.56%.
• Mixed financial results: Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year and above estimates, but earnings per share of $6.18 fell short of the $7.19 consensus forecast.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: JPMorgan upgraded Meta to “overweight” with an $820 price target, contributing to a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average target price of $787.54. Meta also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total transaction of $13,005,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 244,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $159,003,864.48. This represents a 7.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:META traded up $3.65 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $648.03. 16,906,126 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,965,039. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $790.80. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $600.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $608.66. The company has a market capitalization of $1.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $780.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Benchmark restated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $640.00 to $820.00 in a report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $787.54.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse gains early consumer traction: Meta’s new AI agent reportedly reached No. 2 or No. 3 on the U.S. App Store shortly after its launch. Muse can interact with social platforms and outside services, while paid tiers priced at $20 and $100 per month create a potential new revenue stream beyond advertising. Meta's AI agent Muse is now the No. 2 app in the US
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded the stock: JPMorgan raised Meta to Overweight from Neutral and increased its price target to $820, citing meaningful growth potential from frontier AI models and agentic products. The upgrade helped reinforce the bullish view that Meta can diversify beyond advertising. JPMorgan upgrades Meta on AI models and agents
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure optionality: Analysts believe Meta’s large AI-compute investments could eventually support a cloud-computing or infrastructure business, adding an opportunity not currently reflected in the valuation. The company’s strong revenue growth and substantial cash resources support this investment thesis.
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Meta announced a $0.525-per-share dividend payable September 28 to shareholders of record September 21. While the yield is modest, the payout signals confidence in ongoing cash generation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Legal settlement viewed as manageable: Commentary suggests Meta’s potential $18 billion social-media-addiction settlement, spread over a decade, may have a limited impact on annual free cash flow. Resolving the litigation could also remove an overhang, but the headline liability remains material.
• Negative Sentiment: Monetization and privacy concerns: Muse’s usefulness depends on access to users’ inboxes, accounts and payments, raising adoption and privacy questions. Analysts remain uncertain about conversion rates and near-term revenue.
• Negative Sentiment: AI execution and regulatory risks: A prominent AI researcher is leaving Meta for Anthropic, while an internal effort to capture employee screens for AI training reportedly triggered resistance. Meta is also discussing possible teen social-media restrictions in South Korea, and TikTok rejected Meta advertisements urging participation in a child-safety settlement.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Vista Capital Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $794,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Objective Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Objective Capital Management LLC now owns 553 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $365,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. North Berkeley Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. North Berkeley Wealth Management LLC now owns 423 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Watchman Group Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,913,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Penney Financial LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the first quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

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