Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report)’s stock price traded up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $561.42 and last traded at $559.02. 12,725,138 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 24% from the average daily volume of 16,798,107 shares. The stock had previously closed at $549.90.
Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Advertising growth remains the primary catalyst. AI-powered recommendations, higher user engagement and broader advertiser adoption are supporting Meta’s ad business and helping it maintain an advantage over Snap and Reddit. META Rides on Ad Growth: Can It Stay Ahead of RDDT and SNAP?
- Positive Sentiment: Meta is strengthening its AI talent base. Former OpenAI researcher Luke Metz has joined Meta’s Superintelligence Labs and will report to Alexandr Wang, reinforcing the company’s effort to compete in advanced AI. Former OpenAI researcher Luke Metz joins Meta’s Superintelligence Labs under Alexandr Wang
- Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to view Meta as a leading AI monetization candidate. Its large user base, engagement levels, advertising infrastructure and data could allow the company to monetize AI through targeted advertising rather than relying primarily on paid subscriptions. 1 Reason Why Meta Might Be the Best Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock to Buy and Hold for 5 Years and Beyond
- Positive Sentiment: Institutional interest is supportive. Meta was reportedly among popular hedge-fund holdings during the second quarter, suggesting continued confidence in its earnings and AI investment outlook. Two Legendary Investors Just Bought Meta Platforms Stock
- Neutral Sentiment: Sector rotation provided a broader lift. Meta and Alphabet ticked higher as investors rotated toward previously weaker social-media stocks, although the uneven sector performance suggests the move was not entirely company-specific. Snap Rises 4%, Meta Platforms and Alphabet Tick Up, Reddit Slips
- Negative Sentiment: Meta’s aggressive AI buildout could pressure future returns. Mark Zuckerberg’s plan calls for substantial investment in agentic and “superintelligence” AI, raising questions about capital intensity and how quickly new products will generate revenue. Mark Zuckerberg Published a 6,500-Word AI Manifesto
- Negative Sentiment: Privacy and data-sharing concerns remain a reputational risk. Researchers found that some employee-monitoring platforms transmitted worker data to outside companies, including Meta, potentially renewing scrutiny of data practices and regulation. Your boss’s monitoring app shared data with Facebook
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several analysts recently commented on META shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $700.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $725.00 price objective (down from $825.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $785.32.
Meta Platforms Price Performance
The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $593.51 and a 200-day moving average of $614.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.42 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.25.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.91%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 2,079 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.92, for a total transaction of $1,268,023.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $681,890.56. This trade represents a 65.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,502 shares of company stock worth $22,603,485. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms
A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in META. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 56,957.6% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,878,304,587 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,058,030,191,000 after acquiring an additional 1,875,012,642 shares during the period. Tanager Wealth Management LLP increased its position in Meta Platforms by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tanager Wealth Management LLP now owns 8,172 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,603,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. Trans Canada Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $21,577,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 36.7% during the second quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 24,188 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $13,625,000 after purchasing an additional 6,495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trevian Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Trevian Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,613 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $909,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
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.
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