Rep. Dan Crenshaw Unloads Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Shares

Representative Dan Crenshaw (Republican-Texas) recently sold shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META). In a filing disclosed on July 16th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Meta Platforms stock on June 1st.

Representative Dan Crenshaw also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of United States 3x Oil Fund (NYSEARCA:USOU) on 6/1/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) on 6/1/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) on 6/1/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) on 6/1/2026.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ:META traded up $1.64 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $647.49. The stock had a trading volume of 4,005,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,796,693. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.35. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $796.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $604.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $626.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.64 trillion, a P/E ratio of 23.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.56 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is 7.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.83, for a total value of $4,769,642.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 414 shares in the company, valued at $251,641.62. This trade represents a 94.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at $5,708,013.06. This represents a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 37,948 shares of company stock valued at $23,184,319 over the last three months. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in META. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target on Meta to $1,000 from $900 and kept a buy rating, citing improved AI-related prospects. Another bullish note argued Meta’s vertical integration strategy could help it become a compute provider, potentially adding to future earnings and margins. Benzinga report on price target raise Seeking Alpha article on vertical integration
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Meta’s expanding AI ambitions, including possible cloud/computing deals such as a rumored large Anthropic contract and BlackRock-led financing for new data centers in Texas. Investors may see these as signs Meta can turn its AI spending into new revenue streams, which could support the stock. Motley Fool article on Meta stock rebound WSJ article on data center financing
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America said Meta is likely to top second-quarter estimates thanks to healthy ad demand and AI-driven improvements, with revenue and EPS forecast above consensus ahead of the July 29 earnings report. That keeps expectations elevated, but it is still a preview rather than a confirmed result. Proactive Investors article on BofA outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage compared Meta with Pinterest and discussed broader AI and VR strategy, but these pieces were more long-term commentary than immediate stock-moving catalysts. 247WallSt comparison article
• Negative Sentiment: Meta is facing a Tennessee trial over allegations that Instagram was designed to be addictive and contributed to teen mental-health harms. That legal overhang could pressure sentiment if investors worry about fines, restrictions, or wider platform risk. Reuters article on Tennessee trial
• Negative Sentiment: One report said Meta’s AI moderation tools mistakenly banned user accounts on Facebook and Instagram, forcing users to rely on AI again to fix the problem. That reinforces concerns about product reliability and potential reputational risk as Meta leans harder on automation. New York Times article on account bans

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on META shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $850.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday. Arete Research set a $735.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 10th. Truist Financial cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $840.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $810.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $834.02.

About Representative Crenshaw

Daniel Crenshaw (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 2nd Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2019. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Crenshaw (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 2nd Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Crenshaw defeated Todd Litton (D), Patrick Gunnels (L), and Scott Cubbler (Independent) in the general election on November 6, 2018. He advanced to a Republican primary runoff on May 22, 2018, where he defeated Kevin Roberts. The runoff election was called after no candidate won 50 percent of the vote in the Republican primary on March 6, 2018.

A retired lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, Crenshaw served in the Navy SEALs for ten years. Prior to running in 2018, Crenshaw had not previously served in elected office. Crenshaw’s candidacy received media attention, including an appearance on Fox and Friends. U.S. Reps. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), whom he previously worked for as a military legislative assistant, and Scott Taylor (R-Virg.) endorsed Crenshaw’s candidacy.

Crenshaw served as a Navy SEAL from 2006 to 2016. He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and lost his right eye in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Tufts University and an M.P.A. from Harvard.

About Meta Platforms

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.