Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock: Insider Javier Olivan Sells 946 Shares

Key Points

• Meta COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares at an average price of $750.42, generating $709,897.32. The transaction was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and reduced his direct ownership by 9.68% to 8,824 shares.
• Meta shares fell 1.6% to $726.91, while the company reported quarterly revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year, but EPS of $6.18 missed analysts’ $7.19 estimate.
• Institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta, and analysts maintain a generally positive outlook: the stock has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $787.86.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $750.42, for a total value of $709,897.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 8,824 shares in the company, valued at $6,621,706.08. This trade represents a 9.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

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

• 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.
• 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 transaction 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 transaction of $643,535.42.
• On Monday, September 14th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was 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 stock was 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 shares were sold at an average price of $616.44, for a total transaction of $1,550,963.04.
• On Tuesday, September 8th, Javier Olivan sold 2,838 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $616.71, for a total value of $1,750,222.98.
• On Monday, August 10th, Javier Olivan sold 434 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $602.70, for a total value of $261,571.80.
• On Monday, August 10th, Javier Olivan sold 1,258 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total transaction of $754,800.00.
• On Monday, July 27th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.85, for a total transaction of $382,337.65.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.6%

Meta Platforms stock traded down $11.88 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $726.91. The stock had a trading volume of 19,223,698 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,596,566. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.85 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $618.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $613.86.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for 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%. The business's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.5% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 372,579 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $209,870,000 after acquiring an additional 19,353 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 6.4% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 119,557 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $67,330,000 after acquiring an additional 7,184 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,236,516 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,823,088,000 after purchasing an additional 64,136 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,841,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,510,123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 13.9% during the 2nd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 74,799 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $42,134,000 after purchasing an additional 9,114 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse has gained significant early traction, reportedly surpassing ChatGPT in U.S. Apple App Store downloads. Investors see potential revenue from subscriptions, transaction fees, advertising improvements and enterprise software. Meta stock enjoys best month since 2022 on AI momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding Muse beyond consumers through tools for small businesses and a broader enterprise platform, including integrations with Shopify, QuickBooks, Slack, Dropbox and Canva. The company also hired MongoDB’s former CEO to lead its enterprise AI initiative. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses
• Positive Sentiment: A reported $27 billion AI-capacity agreement with Nebius, along with other data-center partnerships, highlights Meta’s commitment to scaling AI infrastructure and could support Muse and advertising capabilities. Nebius Group signs AI capacity deal with Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts increasingly view Meta as a potential “come-from-behind” AI beneficiary because it can apply AI directly to its large advertising business, rather than relying solely on infrastructure spending. However, the strategy requires substantial capital investment before returns are clear. Meta could be the AI trade’s come-from-behind winner
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI’s newly launched Dots agents present a direct competitive threat to Muse. Investors are concerned that competition from OpenAI, Google, Apple and startups could limit user monetization or force Meta to spend even more. OpenAI follows Meta into personal agents
• Negative Sentiment: Reports alleging that Muse accessed private messages or exposed sensitive information have raised privacy and reputational concerns, although Meta disputes the claim and says user consent was involved. Meta disputes Muse privacy claim
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s heavy AI spending and sharply higher capital expenditures are pressuring free cash flow and increasing scrutiny of returns. A New York Times report also questioned the company’s use of data-center tax incentives. How Meta uses AI data centers to avoid federal taxes

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on META. China Renaissance reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $787.86.

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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