The stock of Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) increased by $4.55 on Monday to finish at $306.19, up 1.51 percent. The last five days have seen an average of 15,837,220 shares of common stock traded. 51 times new highs were reached in the current year, with a gain of $185.85. The average number of shares traded over the last 20 days was 25,057,314, while the average volume over the last 50 days totaled 25,050,182.
META stock dropped -0.87% since last month. On 07/24/23, the company’s shares reached a one-month low of $288.30. The stock touched a high of $326.20 on 07/28/23, after rallying from a low of $88.09 in 52 weeks. The price of META stock has risen by 154.44% or $185.85 this year, reaching a new high 51 times. Still, the stock price is down -6.13% from the 52-week high.
Insider Transactions
META stock investors should be aware that Meta Platforms Inc. (META) stock had its last reported insider trading activity 7 days ago on Aug 08. On Aug 08, Chief Legal Officer Newstead Jennifer sold 711 shares at $314.83 each. This transaction resulted in the insider making $223,844. On Aug 01, Newstead Jennifer sold 722 shares at a price of US$317.67. After the transaction, the insider now owns 30,868 shares. Chief Legal Officer Newstead Jennifer had earlier sold 722 shares on Jul 25 for $295.19 a share. The transaction was completed for $213,127.
Valuation Metrics
Meta Platforms Inc. (META) has a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 34.60. Beta for the stock is 1.23. There are also a few other valuation ratios worth considering, including the trailing price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 6.63, the price-to-book (PB) ratio of 5.87, and the price-to-cash flow ratio of 33.23.
Financial Health
For the three months ended June 29, Meta Platforms Inc.’s quick ratio was 2.30, while its current ratio was 2.30, indicating its ability to pay off its debt. The company’s long-term debt to equity ratio for the quarter ending June 29 is 0.14, and the total debt to equity ratio is 0.15. As far as profitability goes, gross margin for the trailing twelve months is 78.20% percent. Meta Platforms Inc.’s EBITDA margin for the year ended June 29 was 36.22%, whereas its operating margin stood at 23.80% for the same period. Based on annual data, it had gross profit of $91.36 billion and revenue of $116.61 billion.
Investors will also look at the performance of the company’s management in order to determine the potential profitability of their investment. META’s return on assets (ROA) during the last 12 months has been 11.90%. There was a 18.20% return on investment (ROI) in the past year. In the meantime, the return on equity (ROE) for the last 12 months was 17.70%.
Earnings Surprise
According to Meta Platforms Inc.’s quarterly financial report for the quarter that ended June 29, it had $18.38 billion in total debt versus $24.66 billion in cash and short-term investments. A higher net income was reported in the quarter under review than the previous quarter. Net income for the quarter came in at $32.0 billion, while revenues rose by 9.93% to $28.64 billion. It was predicted that Meta Platforms Inc.’s quarterly earnings would be $2.98, but it ended up being $2.91, beating the consensus by 2.40%. EBITDA was $12.02 billion for the quarter. At the end of Meta Platforms Inc.’s most recent quarter ended June 29, its liabilities totaled 72.66 billion, while its total debt was $36.98 billion. Equity owned by shareholders amounts to $2.57 billion.
Technical Picture
Here’s a quick look at Meta Platforms Inc.’s (META) price momentum from a technical perspective. As of 14 August, the RSI 9-day stood at 48.17%, suggesting the stock is Neutral, with a 22.89% historical volatility rate.
The stochastic %K and %D were 38.72% and 43.35% respectively, while the average true range (ATR) was 8.98. Based on the 14-day stochastic reading of 41.66%, the RSI (14) reading is 51.62%. On the 9-day MACD Oscillator, the stock is at -5.06, and the 14-day reading is at -7.14.
Analyst Ratings
In a note to investors, Argus maintained its a Buy rating on Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META). However, the firm raised their price target to $375, indicating a possible increase of 13.26% in the stock price. Analysts have assigned Meta Platforms Inc. (META) an Buy rating. META is a stock that is recommended for selling by 0 brokerage firms, while 6 companies recommend holding. The stock is underweighted by 1 analyst. Among the analysts who rate the stock, 5 rates it overweight and 44 others recommend it as a buy.
What is META’s price target for the next 12 months?
The current consensus forecast for the stock is between $238.00 and $435.00, with a median target price of $380.00. In analyzing these forecasts, the average price target given by analysts for Meta Platforms Inc. (META) is $374.80.
