Rep. Rick Larsen Buys Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Stock

Representative Rick Larsen (D-Washington) recently bought shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META). In a filing disclosed on January 14th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Meta Platforms stock on January 7th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “RICHARD R LARSEN IRA” account.

Representative Rick Larsen also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) on 1/7/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) on 1/7/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) on 1/7/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) on 1/7/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM) on 1/7/2026.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $620.80 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $641.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $701.04. The stock has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.42, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $479.80 and a 52 week high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.51. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.89% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The firm had revenue of $51.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.03 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.28%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Big?tech energy/deal news de?risks Meta’s data?center power needs — Meta’s prepayment/partner deal with Oklo helps secure baseload power for its compute expansion, lowering a key execution risk for Meta Compute. Oklo’s Meta Deal De?Risks the Story
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness — Rosenblatt reaffirmed a Buy and set a high price target (~$1,117), signaling upside if Meta’s AI/data?center investments translate into growth. Rosenblatt Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Content/API deals that support AI training — Wikimedia/industry partnerships (including Meta) give Meta access to structured knowledge sources useful for LLMs and model improvements. Wikipedia AI access deals
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta Compute is now explicit — Zuckerberg’s initiative outlines an ambitious multi?GW data?center and power buildout that supports long?term AI leadership but implies large near?term capex and execution risk. Watch capex guidance and FCF impact. Meta Compute: Inside Zuckerberg’s Massive Data Center Bet
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming quarterly report (after market close Jan. 28) — earnings and 2026 guidance will likely dictate the next major move in the stock. Q4 & Full?Year 2025 Results Announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs layoffs (~1,500 roles, ~10% of the division) signal a pullback from metaverse spending but also highlight restructuring risk and potential product delays. Meta Lays Off 1,500 in Reality Labs
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and cautious outlooks — some firms have cut targets or issued cautious forecasts citing very large 2026 capex and falling free cash flow, contributing to downward pressure on the shares. Stock Down After Analyst Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — COO Javier Olivan disclosed small, ongoing share sales (monthly blocks), which can amplify short?term selling sentiment even if not unusual. COO Javier Olivan Share Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal and regional policy risks persist (privacy, market access, content rules) that could add costs or constrain growth in certain markets. Regulatory/legal risks

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total transaction of $365,610.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,347 shares in the company, valued at $4,476,894.45. This trade represents a 7.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 11,690 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.31, for a total transaction of $6,935,793.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 2,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,432,843.65. This represents a 82.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 40,571 shares of company stock valued at $25,137,541. Insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $900.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Arete Research set a $718.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $825.00 target price (down previously from $900.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $822.96.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of META. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 192,591,101 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $142,149,566,000 after purchasing an additional 1,532,568 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $64,158,971,000 after buying an additional 1,650,435 shares in the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 608,429.2% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 59,775,823 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $44,119,937,000 after acquiring an additional 59,766,000 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 51,575,209 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $37,902,948,000 after acquiring an additional 682,768 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 39,247,690 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $28,823,375,000 after acquiring an additional 278,180 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Larsen

Rick Larsen (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Washington’s 2nd Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2001. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Larsen (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Washington’s 2nd Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Since at least 2011, Larsen has been assigned to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Larsen’s first position as an elected official was in 1998 as a member of the Snohomish County Council.

Larsen earned his bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University. After earning his master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Minnesota, Larsen worked as the director of public affairs for the Washington State Dental Association and then as an economic development official with the Port of Everett. He went on to serve on the Snohomish County Council before seeking election to the U.S. House.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.