As of Thursday close, Meta Platforms Inc.’s (NASDAQ:META) stock was down -$9.2, moving down -3.13 percent to $285.09. The average number of shares traded per day over the past five days has been 16,761,881 shares. 3 times new highs have been achieved over the past 5 days, with a -$20.65 fall in that time frame. In the last twenty days, the average volume was 24,445,135, while in the previous 50 days, it was 24,941,031.
Since last month, META stock retreated -9.78%. Shares of the company fell to $284.95 on 08/17/23, the lowest level in the past month. A 52-week high of $326.20 was reached on 07/28/23 after having rallying from a 52-week low of $88.09. Since the beginning of this year, META’s stock price has risen by 136.90% or $164.75, and marked a new high 51 times. However, the stock has declined by -12.60% since its 52-week high.
META stock investors should be aware that Meta Platforms Inc. (META) stock had its last reported insider trading activity 2 days ago on Aug 16. LI SUSAN J, the Chief Financial Officer of the company, disposed of 19,770 shares for $299.30 on Aug 16. It resulted in a $5,917,100 divestment by the insider. Bosworth Andrew sold 10,922 shares at an average price of $299.22 on Aug 16. The insider now owns 6,847 shares following the transaction. On Aug 16, President, Global Affairs Clegg Nicholas sold 9,974 shares at $300.00 apiece. The transaction was valued at $2,992,200.
Valuation Metrics
Right now, Meta Platforms Inc. (META) has a P/E ratio of about 32.22. The stock’s beta is 1.23. Besides these, the trailing price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 6.17, the price-to-book (PB) ratio of 5.46, and the price-to-cash flow ratio of 30.94 may also be considered.
Financial Health
In the three months ended June 29, Meta Platforms Inc.’s quick ratio stood at 2.30, while its current ratio was 2.30, showing that the company is able to pay off its debt. According to company report, the long-term debt-to-equity ratio for the quarter ending June 29 was 0.14, and the total debt-to-equity ratio was 0.15. On the profitability front, the trailing twelve-month gross margin is 78.20% percent. In the year ended June 29, EBITDA margin amounted to 36.22%, whereas operating margins totaled 23.80%. Based on annual data, META earned $91.36 billion in gross profit and brought in $116.61 billion in revenue.
A company’s management is another factor that investors consider when determining the profitability of an investment. In the past year, return on investment (ROI) was 18.20%. Return on equity (ROE) for the past 12 months was 17.70%.
In Meta Platforms Inc.’s quarter-end financial report for June 29, it reported total debt of $18.38 billion against cash and short-term investments of $24.66 billion. According to the earnings report, the company had a higher net income in the recent quarter than it did in the previous quarter. META’s revenue rose 9.93% to $28.64 billion during the quarter, while net income inched up to $32.0 billion. While analysts expected Meta Platforms Inc. to report $2.91 quarterly earnings, the actual figure was $2.98 per share, beating the consensus estimate by 2.40%. During the quarter, the company generated $12.02 billion in EBITDA. The liabilities of Meta Platforms Inc. were 72.66 billion at the end of its most recent quarter ended June 29, and its total debt was $36.98 billion. The value of shareholders’ equity is $2.57 billion.
Technical Picture
This quick technical analysis looks at Meta Platforms Inc.’s (META) price momentum. With a historical volatility rate of 25.43%, the RSI 9-day stood at 29.68% on 17 August.
With respect to its five-day moving average, the current Meta Platforms Inc. price is down by -6.75% percent or -$20.65. At present, META shares trade -5.76% below its 20-day simple moving average and +38.39% percent above its 100-day simple moving average. However, the stock is currently trading approximately +5.15% above its SMA50 and +187.39% above its SMA200.
Stochastic coefficient K was 4.54% and Stochastic coefficient D was 16.88%, while ATR was 8.93. Given the Stochastic reading of 0.34% for the 14-day period, the RSI (14) reading has been calculated as 38.02%. As of today, the MACD Oscillator reading stands at -9.48, while the 14-day reading stands at -14.00.
Analyst Ratings
Argus reiterated its a Buy rating on Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) in a note to investors. The analysts firm has however raised their price target to $375, representing a possible 19.24% increase in the stock price. Meta Platforms Inc. (META) has been rated Buy by analysts. According to 0 brokerage firms, META is a sell, and 6 firms recommend it is a Hold. There are 1 analyst who say the stock is underweight. A total of 5 analysts rate Meta Platforms Inc. stock as buy, with 44 recommending it as overweight.
With a median target price of $380.00, the current consensus forecast for the stock is $238.00 – $435.00. Based on these forecasts, analysts predict Meta Platforms Inc. (META) will achieve an average price target of $374.80.
