Seaport Res Ptn Comments on Meta Platforms FY2025 Earnings

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) – Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn reduced their FY2025 earnings estimates for Meta Platforms in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, January 29th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst A. Kessler now forecasts that the social networking company will earn $25.39 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $25.78. The consensus estimate for Meta Platforms’ current full-year earnings is $25.94 per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Hsbc Global Res raised Meta Platforms to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $630.00 to $705.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $800.00 price target (up previously from $725.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, thirty-five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $710.83.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $704.19 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98. Meta Platforms has a 52-week low of $414.50 and a 52-week high of $710.79. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $618.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $570.21. The firm has a market cap of $1.78 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.44, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The social networking company reported $8.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.75 by $1.27. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 37.91% and a return on equity of 38.17%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.33 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JDM Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Avondale Wealth Management bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Cordant Inc. bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Nicholas Clegg sold 1,131 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $577.16, for a total transaction of $652,767.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $709,329.64. This trade represents a 47.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 12,975 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $696.39, for a total value of $9,035,660.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $146,918,094.69. The trade was a 5.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 673,878 shares of company stock worth $416,269,904. 13.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.28%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 8.36%.

About Meta Platforms

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.