Meta Platforms (META) Projected to Post Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) is expected to release its Q1 2025 earnings data after the market closes on Wednesday, April 30th. Analysts expect Meta Platforms to post earnings of $5.33 per share and revenue of $41.45 billion for the quarter. Meta Platforms has set its Q1 2025 guidance at EPS.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The social networking company reported $8.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $5.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect Meta Platforms to post $27 EPS for the current fiscal year and $30 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock opened at $500.28 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.98. Meta Platforms has a 1 year low of $414.50 and a 1 year high of $740.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $598.76 and a 200 day moving average of $605.69. The company has a market cap of $1.27 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.28.

Meta Platforms Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. This is a positive change from Meta Platforms’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on META shares. Arete Research upgraded shares of Meta Platforms to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $630.00 to $705.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $655.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $675.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, thirty-five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $681.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 608 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $556.45, for a total value of $338,321.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 5,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,790,040.30. This trade represents a 10.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 921 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $531.22, for a total value of $489,253.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 28,419 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,096,741.18. The trade was a 3.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 342,662 shares of company stock worth $237,476,709. Corporate insiders own 13.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Meta Platforms stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,551 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up about 0.6% of Brighton Jones LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $20,230,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.