Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Shares Down 1.8% – Should You Sell?

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s stock price traded down 1.8% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $591.00 and last traded at $592.92. 10,488,608 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 30% from the average session volume of 14,918,095 shares. The stock had previously closed at $604.06.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company leadership doubling down on AI: CTO Andrew Bosworth will lead the rollout of “AI for Work” tools to equip employees and accelerate internal productivity gains, signaling faster AI adoption across the organization. Meta CTO Leads Efforts to Equip Workforce With AI Tools
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic AI hires and internal agent development reinforce execution: Meta added the Dreamer team to Superintelligence Labs and is building CEO/internal AI agents, strengthening its talent and IP for personalized AI and product velocity. Meta Recruits Dreamer Team to Scale Personalized AI Agents
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade highlights long-term AI thesis: Erste Group raised Meta to Buy, citing AI investments and pricing power—a vote of confidence for future revenue/margin upside. Erste Group Upgrades Meta (META) to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Product/monetization experiments continue: Meta is offering incentives to creators (monthly payments) to boost engagement—could improve engagement but adds short-term marketing spend. Meta Will Pay Influencers Up to $3,000 Per Month to Post on Facebook
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk crystallizes: A high-profile New Mexico civil trial alleging Meta failed to protect children reached a verdict today, elevating litigation and reputational risk that could lead to fines or stricter state-level remedies. Jury reaches verdict in major Meta child safety trial in New Mexico
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny on AI intensifies: The EU antitrust chief is meeting Meta’s CEO alongside other AI leaders, signaling potential policy or competition action as Europe assesses Big Tech’s role in AI. EU antitrust chief meets Google, Meta, OpenAI, Amazon CEOs amidst AI scrutiny
• Negative Sentiment: Additional HR/legal exposure: A lawsuit alleges Meta targeted older workers in layoffs, adding to the company’s legal docket and potential costs. Lawsuit Claims Meta Platforms Targeted Older Workers in Layoffs

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Arete Research reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $685.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $850.00 price target (up from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $900.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four equities research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $846.63.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $648.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $671.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.50 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.30.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.94%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $632.02, for a total value of $585,250.52. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 14,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,013,237.22. This represents a 6.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $632.02, for a total value of $366,571.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,427 shares in the company, valued at $2,797,952.54. The trade was a 11.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 160,929 shares of company stock worth $103,074,540. 13.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Old North State Trust LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 3,485 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,300,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,508,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $24,463,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $5,099,000. Finally, AMG Asset Management Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $668,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Meta Platforms

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.