Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Shares Unloaded Sen. Angus S. King Jr.

Key Points

• Sen. Angus S. King Jr. disclosed he sold between $1,001 and $15,000 of Meta stock on Feb. 13, 2026, one of several small concurrent sales he made across major tech names.
• Meta beat estimates with $8.88 EPS (vs. $8.16 est.) and $59.89B in revenue (up 23.8% YoY) and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share (annualized $2.10, ~0.4% yield).
• Insider sales and legal risks: CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares (~$36.5M) and insiders have sold about $104M in the last 90 days, while recent jury verdicts (including a $375M award) and regulatory hurdles add litigation and geopolitical execution risk.

Senator Angus S. King Jr. (Independent-Maine) recently sold shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. NASDAQ: META. In a filing disclosed on March 24th, the Senator disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Meta Platforms stock on February 13th.

Senator Angus S. King Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Uber Technologies NYSE: UBER on 2/13/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company NYSE: LLY on 2/13/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Blackstone NYSE: BX on 2/13/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Autodesk NASDAQ: ADSK on 2/13/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of PayPal NASDAQ: PYPL on 2/13/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Microsoft NASDAQ: MSFT on 2/13/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of ON NYSE: ONON on 2/13/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Netflix NASDAQ: NFLX on 2/13/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company NYSE: LLY on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Honeywell International NASDAQ: HON on 12/29/2025.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $594.89 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.50 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.31, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $479.80 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company's 50 day moving average is $647.29 and its 200 day moving average is $669.74.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.The company had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $8.02 earnings per share. Meta Platforms's revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.94%.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta signed on as the launch customer/co-developer for Arm’s new AGI CPU, which de-risks Arm’s data-center push and signals Meta is securing bespoke AI infrastructure to lower long‑term AI costs and improve performance. Arm launches first own-brand chip with Meta as launch customer
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is rolling out AI initiatives for commerce and small businesses (Meta Small Business, AI shopping tools), and is integrating AI across workflows — developments investors view as revenue‑accretive and margin‑supporting over time. Meta launches new initiative to support entrepreneurship, drive AI adoption
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta granted performance‑tied stock awards and options to senior executives to retain talent during the AI race; markets see this as a retention positive but with aggressive targets (and potential dilution) embedded. Meta grants senior executives stock awards to retain talent
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Meta will cut several hundred roles (and unconfirmed reports of up to 20% headcount reductions) are being parsed as either necessary cost discipline amid huge AI CapEx or a sign of execution risk; investors are treating this as a mixed signal. Meta to lay off hundreds of employees
• Negative Sentiment: A New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million after finding the company violated state consumer‑protection laws by enabling sexual exploitation of minors — a headline legal loss that increases litigation and reputational risk. Meta found liable in child exploitation case, ordered to pay $375 million
• Negative Sentiment: In a separate Los Angeles bellwether, jurors found Meta negligent in a youth social‑media addiction case and assessed punitive/compensatory damages (including a $2.1M punitive share for Meta), underscoring broader industry legal exposure that could prompt future damages or regulation. Jury Orders $3 Million in Punitive Damages Against Meta and YouTube
• Negative Sentiment: China has restricted founders of Manus amid a regulatory review of Meta’s acquisition, potentially delaying integration of AI talent and adding geopolitical execution risk. China bars Manus co-founders from leaving country as it reviews sale to Meta

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on META. Bank of America upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $685.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $872.00 price target (up from $830.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $1,117.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $846.63.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total value of $36,471,323.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,461 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Sunday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $639.77, for a total value of $1,574,473.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,108 shares in the company, valued at $7,746,335.16. This trade represents a 16.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 162,484 shares of company stock valued at $104,015,906. Company insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goldstone Financial Group LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 44.4% during the 3rd quarter. Goldstone Financial Group LLC now owns 3,752 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 27.8% during the second quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 176,762 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $130,467,000 after buying an additional 38,432 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 34.2% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 52,252 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $38,373,000 after buying an additional 13,311 shares in the last quarter. Cherokee Insurance Co purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $3,321,000. Finally, Becker Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 5.0% during the third quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,052 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $25,741,000 after buying an additional 1,657 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Senator King

Angus King (independent) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Maine. He assumed office on January 3, 2013. His current term ends on January 3, 2031. King (independent) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc NASDAQ: META, formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta's core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.

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