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

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 Trading Down 8.0%

META stock opened at $547.25 on Friday. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $645.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $668.89. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $479.80 and a one year high of $796.25. The stock has a market cap of $1.38 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.29, 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 the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company’s revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.02 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.94%.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large AI infrastructure commitment — Meta told investors it will boost spending on a West Texas AI data center to about $10 billion, signaling continued investment in model training capacity and long-term AI revenue opportunities. Meta boosts investment in West Texas AI data center by over sixfold to $10 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic silicon partnership — Meta is the lead partner / launch customer for Arm’s new AGI CPU, which could lower Meta’s long‑run costs for AI inference/training and validate its data‑center strategy. This reduces execution risk on large compute builds. Arm launches first own-brand chip with Meta as launch customer
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst view improving — Erste Group modestly raised FY2027 EPS estimates for Meta, showing some sell‑side confidence in profit power despite near‑term noise. Erste Group raises FY2027 EPS estimate for META
• Neutral Sentiment: Cost moves and workforce cuts — Meta has cut several hundred roles and reports of broader restructuring persist; layoffs can boost near‑term margins but also signal stress amid massive CapEx. Meta Lays Off 700 Employees, While Rewarding Top Executives
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive retention program — Meta awarded performance‑tied stock units/options to senior leaders to retain talent for its AI push; upside‑only payoff if aggressive targets are met (long‑term positive if execution succeeds). Meta grants senior executives stock awards to retain talent
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity — A surge in call buying suggests some traders are speculating on a rebound, increasing intraday volume and volatility (short‑term noise).
• Negative Sentiment: Landmark legal losses — Back‑to‑back jury verdicts (including a Los Angeles negligent‑design verdict and a New Mexico penalty) found Meta liable for harms to minors; investors fear follow‑on suits, regulatory changes and larger fines or restrictions that could materially affect business models and costs. Meta shares slip after US jury verdicts raise concerns of new legal exposure
• Negative Sentiment: Huge AI CapEx and free‑cash‑flow risk — Market commentary highlights an aggressive 2026 CapEx plan (reported ranges well above prior years), which could compress free cash flow and make the stock more sensitive to execution and legal shocks. That combination is a primary driver of the selloff. Meta Reportedly Plans 20% Layoff: A Sign of Weakness or Strength?

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of META. Westchester Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of the firm’s 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 SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $632.02, for a total value of $366,571.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,797,952.54. The trade was a 11.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 162,484 shares of company stock worth $104,015,906 over the last three months. Insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on META. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Scotiabank boosted their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $850.00 price objective (up from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Evercore lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $846.63.

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.