Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Stock Price Down 1.2% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Meta Platforms' stock price fell by 1.2% to $734.38, with trading volume up 8% from the average level.
• Recent analyst reports indicate an upward revision of target prices, with Bank of America raising its target from $775.00 to $900.00 and Loop Capital setting a target at $980.00.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, equating to an annual yield of 0.3% and a payout ratio of 7.60%.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) shares traded down 1.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $726.30 and last traded at $734.38. 15,742,174 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 14,570,238 shares. The stock had previously closed at $743.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Loop Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $980.00 target price (up previously from $888.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of Meta Platforms from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $830.02.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 1.2%

The business's fifty day moving average is $752.34 and its 200-day moving average is $672.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.84 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The social networking company reported $7.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.75 by $1.39. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 39.99% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The firm had revenue of $47.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.16 earnings per share. Meta Platforms's revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Meta Platforms has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Monday, September 22nd were issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 22nd. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.60%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 465 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $757.47, for a total transaction of $352,223.55. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,412 shares in the company, valued at $6,371,837.64. The trade was a 5.24% 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. Also, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $769.20, for a total transaction of $399,214.80. Following the sale, the insider owned 30,351 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,345,989.20. This represents a 1.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 215,507 shares of company stock worth $165,874,850. 13.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of META. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Bare Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $30,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Evergreen Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 237.5% in the second quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 54 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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