Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders acquired 710,657 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 18% compared to the average volume of 602,303 call options.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on META shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $725.00 target price (down from $825.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $835.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $885.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Benchmark assumed coverage on Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $840.60.
View Our Latest Stock Report on META
Meta Platforms Stock Performance
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.43 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Meta Platforms will post 29.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.63%.
Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms
In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 504 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.29, for a total transaction of $317,162.16. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,943 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,481,290.47. The trade was a 11.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 140 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total transaction of $84,000.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,846 shares in the company, valued at $7,707,600. This trade represents a 1.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 39,013 shares of company stock worth $24,115,999 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms
A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Keybank National Association OH boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 133,798 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $88,319,000 after purchasing an additional 18,169 shares during the last quarter. WMS Group LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $876,000. Becker Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,052 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $25,741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,657 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 84,059 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $55,487,000 after purchasing an additional 3,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC now owns 6,933 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $5,091,000 after buying an additional 968 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Key Meta Platforms News
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Meta is reportedly building a cloud business that would let it sell spare AI compute capacity to third parties, potentially turning heavy infrastructure spending into a new profit source. Meta stock jumps on report of AI cloud business expansion plans
- Positive Sentiment: Reports that Meta could enter the AI compute market helped push the stock sharply higher, with investors viewing the move as a potential long-term growth driver. Meta Stock Rises on Report It’s Building a Cloud Business. CoreWeave Drops.
- Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from analysts and media outlets is framing Meta’s AI push as a major strategic bet, but these pieces are largely opinion or outlook rather than new company-specific fundamentals. Meta Stock Price Prediction: The Forecast Sees a Path to $800+
- Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s reported plans to launch a prediction-market app add to speculation around new product expansion, but this looks less immediately material than the AI cloud news. Inside Zuckerberg’s Reported Plan to Take On Kalshi and Polymarket in Prediction Markets
- Negative Sentiment: Meta lost a bid to dismiss a multistate lawsuit alleging Facebook and Instagram were designed to addict children, and the case is now headed toward trial, adding legal overhang. Meta Loses Bid to Dismiss States’ Lawsuit Over Facebook and Instagram Addiction Claims as Judge Says Case Should Go to Trial
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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