Rep. Bruce Westerman Sells Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Stock

Representative Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas) recently sold shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. NASDAQ: META. In a filing disclosed on May 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Meta Platforms stock on April 21st. The trade occurred in the Representative's "FISHER IRA" account.

Representative Bruce Westerman also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of UniCredit OTCMKTS: UNCRY on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of CSX NASDAQ: CSX on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Siemens Aktiengesellschaft OTCMKTS: SIEGY on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of GSK NYSE: GSK on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Charles Schwab NYSE: SCHW on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group NYSE: GS on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Abbott Laboratories NYSE: ABT on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company NYSE: LLY on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of NVIDIA NASDAQ: NVDA on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Chevron NYSE: CVX on 4/21/2025.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock traded down $3.54 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $640.34. The stock had a trading volume of 18,351,566 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,531,362. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $570.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $606.39. The firm has a market cap of $1.62 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $442.65 and a 12-month high of $740.91.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The social networking company reported $6.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.33 by $1.10. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.17% and a net margin of 37.91%. The company had revenue of $42.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.71 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 19,668 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $703.21, for a total value of $13,830,734.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 4,706 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Saturday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $736.67, for a total value of $3,466,769.02. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,422,186.45. The trade was a 18.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 81,171 shares of company stock worth $55,161,016. 13.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on META. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $530.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Monness Crespi & Hardt increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $700.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Pivotal Research decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $830.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $628.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, thirty-seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $701.05.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of META. Valley Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Valley Financial Group Inc. now owns 588 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $344,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,976 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,743,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $960,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Meredith Wealth Planning boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Meredith Wealth Planning now owns 1,873 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,097,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maiden Cove Capital LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Maiden Cove Capital LLC now owns 481 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Representative Westerman

Bruce Westerman (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Arkansas' 4th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Westerman (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Arkansas' 4th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Westerman earned his BSBAGE in biological and agricultural engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1990 and his MF in forestry from Yale University in 2001. His professional experience includes working as a plant engineer for Riceland Foods and an engineer/forester for Mid-South Engineering Company.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.