Earnings update: METAupdated 2:17 a.m. ET, Oct. 22 · refreshed every 15 minutes
META was at $713.49 in after-hours trading at 7:32 p.m. ET on Oct. 21, +2.3% from the $697.52 close before the report.
Meta Platforms, Inc. reported fiscal Q3 2026 results on Oct. 21 after the close: revenue $63.06B vs $64.64B expected (-2.4%); earnings per share $7.40 vs $5.79 expected.
META trades 10.3% below its 3‑month high and 10.3% below its 52‑week high. No one can predict a rebound, but the stock’s history provides context.
The table below lists META’s past declines of 20% or more, the depth of each drop, and the time each recovery required.
The chart below shows META's daily closing price from April 27, 2026 to Oct. 21, 2026. During that period the stock rose 2.9%, moving from $677.54 to $697.52. It peaked at $777.59 on Sept. 24, 2026 and fell to $538.65 on July 30, 2026. Red circles indicate weeks when insiders sold shares on the open market; 23 weeks appear, and larger circles represent larger sale amounts. No green diamonds appear, meaning insiders did not buy shares in this window.
META share price and insider trades
Daily closing price, Apr 27, 2026 to Oct 21, 2026 · dots are open-market trades by company insiders (SEC Form 4), one per week
Latest
$697.52
Oct 21, 2026
Change
▲ +2.9%
since Apr 27, 2026
High
$777.59
Sep 24, 2026
Low
$538.65
Jul 30, 2026
Share price Insider sales: $128.7M in 32 trades Insider buys: noneBigger dot = more money. Hover a dot or the line for details.
META's past 20%+ drops and recoveries
The table below shows META's past 20%+ drops and recoveries.
Peak
Low
Drop
Back to the peak
2025-02-14
2025-04-21
-34.2%
48 trading days (2025-06-30)
2025-08-12
2026-03-27
-33.3%
not yet
Also worth knowing about META
Insiders sold $102.9 million over 90 days and bought none on the open market; sales are often routine (taxes, pre-planned plans).
On share issuance, the dilution score is 10/100 (low). Share count down 0.2% over a year.
The company filed a 8-K on Oct. 21, 2026: Reverse stock split.
“We hit major milestones this quarter toward delivering personal superintelligence for everyone - including launching Muse and Muse Wonder, our first frontier model”
— Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO · SEC filing
From the company's earnings release filed with the SEC on 2026-10-21 (Form 8-K).
What would change the picture for META
These are the specific events and levels to watch. None of them is a prediction.
Insider buying: none on the open market in 90 days. A purchase by an executive or director would be the first in at least three months, and it would show up on SEC Form 4 within two business days.
Analyst ratings: the average score moved from 4.18 to 4.15 over three months (on a scale where 5 is strong buy and 1 is strong sell). A run of downgrades after earnings usually shows up here first.
Price levels: a close above $777.59 would be a new 52-week high, 11.5% above the latest close of $697.52; a close below $524.88 would be a new 52-week low, 24.8% below it.
Growth: revenue rose 27.7% year over year in the quarter ending Jun 2026 (trend: steady). At a P/E of 26.3, a slowdown would matter more than at a lower multiple.
New shares: dilution risk is low now. A new shelf registration (S-3) or a prospectus supplement (424B) for an offering would raise it.
How META compares with its peers
Over the past month META ranks 5 of 5 in this group (-5.3%); the best was MSFT (+7.0%) and the weakest META (-5.3%).
META's P/E of 26.3 is in line with the peers' median of 25.4.
Stock
Close
1 month
3 months
From 52-wk high
P/E
Price/sales
Revenue growth
META
$697.52
-5.3%
+15.2%
-10.3%
26.3
7.84
+27.7%
AAPL
$343.99
+1.2%
+7.0%
0.0%
39.5
10.75
+14.2%
MSFT
$532.95
+7.0%
+39.9%
-1.9%
29.7
11.93
+17.8%
GOOGL
$334.76
-4.7%
+5.4%
-16.8%
16.8
9.24
+20.1%
AMZN
$262.37
+2.9%
+12.3%
-7.6%
21.1
3.65
+15.8%
META history: what happened after similar moves
Since 2023, META fell 5.3% or more in a month 15 times (separate episodes, not counting the current one). Three months later it was higher in 10 of 14 cases; the median change was +7.7%.
Past moves don't predict the next one; they show how volatile the stock has been.
Month ending
Move in that month
1 month later
3 months later
2026-01-16
-5.6%
+3.7%
+8.3%
2026-03-02
-11.5%
-12.4%
-8.0%
2026-03-31
-12.4%
+7.0%
+7.2%
2026-05-13
-6.9%
-8.1%
-3.4%
2026-06-12
-8.1%
+20.3%
+17.5%
2026-07-31
-9.2%
+2.8%
not yet
The bottom line
META is down 10.3% from its 3-month high and 10.3% from its 52-week high. Nobody knows if or when it will recover; history only shows how past drops played out.
In the last three years, 1 drop of 20% or more fully recovered, after about 48 trading days on average.
Questions people also ask
Do analysts think META is a buy?
62 of the 71 analysts who cover Meta Platforms, Inc. rate it a buy or strong buy, for a consensus of Buy. Ratings describe analysts' views, not a guarantee, and they change after earnings. More →
Are META insiders buying or selling?
Insiders sold $102.9 million of META on the open market in 90 days and bought none. Sales are often routine (taxes, diversification, pre-planned plans); purchases with their own money are the stronger signal.
Who is the largest shareholder of META?
Among investment managers that file Form 13F, BlackRock Inc. reported the largest META position ($97.7 billion). 5055 institutions reported holding META for Q2 2026. More →
Does META pay a dividend?
Yes: $2.10 per share over the last 12 months, about 0.3% at today's price.
Is Meta Platforms, Inc. issuing new shares?
Dilution risk reads low (10/100); the share count fell 0.2% in a year.
Is Meta Platforms, Inc. profitable?
Yes. Meta Platforms, Inc. had $228.2 billion of revenue over the last 12 months with a net margin of 29.8% and a P/E of 26.3. More →
Dates to watch for META
Insider trades can come any day: they must be filed on Form 4 within two business days.
Date
Event
Why it matters
Wed Oct 28, 2026
MSFT earnings
A read-through for META: results from a peer often move the group.
Wed Oct 28, 2026
GOOGL earnings
A read-through for META: results from a peer often move the group.
Wed Oct 28, 2026
Federal Reserve rate decision
Market odds: 87% hold, 1% cut, 12% hike.
Thu Oct 29, 2026
AMZN earnings
A read-through for META: results from a peer often move the group.
Mon Nov 2, 2026
AAPL earnings
A read-through for META: results from a peer often move the group.
Mon Nov 16, 2026
13F filing deadline
Funds disclose what they held on 2026-09-30, including META.
Fri Nov 20, 2026
Monthly options expiration
Often heavier trading and bigger swings in widely traded stocks.
Key terms on this page
P/E ratio
Price divided by the last 12 months of earnings per share. A P/E of 20 means investors pay $20 for each $1 of yearly profit. It is only defined when the company is profitable.
Form 4
The SEC form a company's officers, directors and 10% owners must file within two business days of buying or selling its stock.
Open-market trade
A purchase or sale on the exchange at the market price, paid with the insider's own money (code P or S on Form 4), as opposed to option exercises, grants or gifts.
Form 13F
A quarterly SEC report listing the U.S. stock holdings of every investment manager with more than $100 million. It is due 45 days after each quarter ends, so it shows positions with a delay.
Dilution
When a company issues new shares, each existing share owns a smaller piece of the company. Common sources: stock offerings, convertible debt and large stock-based pay.
Form 8-K
The SEC form for material events between quarterly reports: earnings releases, deals, executive changes, stock offerings and similar news.
52-week high / low
The highest and lowest daily closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days).
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page is computed from the data when the page is refreshed (usually daily); nothing is typed in by hand. This is information, not investment advice.
Price: daily closing prices through Oct. 21, 2026; changes use 5, 21 and 63 trading days; the 52-week range uses the last 252 closes.
Insider trades: SEC Form 4 filings for the last 90 days, counting only open-market purchases (code P) and sales (code S); option exercises, grants, gifts and filings with data errors are left out.
Analyst ratings: counts of current ratings from 71 analysts, compared with three months ago.
Earnings dates and estimates: a market-data calendar; reported vs expected EPS for the last 4 quarters.
Valuation and growth: revenue, earnings, margins and share counts from the company's SEC filings (XBRL data, latest quarter Jun 2026); P/E and price/sales use the latest close.
Fund ownership: SEC Form 13F filings for Q2 2026.
Dilution: share-count changes and offering-related SEC filings (shelf registrations, prospectus supplements, convertible notes) over two years, scored 0-100.
History: 21-trading-day moves over about three years of daily closes, counted once per episode.
People and companies connected to META
Mark Zuckerberg — founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, Inc..
Public, widely reported roles and business ties as of 2026-10-17.
In the news
2026-10-22 · Meta Raises Bet on AI With Spending Outlook, New Stock Class.
2026-10-21 · Blanche: Meta and X have helped law enforcement on cybercrime. META TSLA.
2026-10-21 · Meta must pay $25 billion in penalties, New Mexico judge rules after jury found company misled consumers about privacy - META.
2026-10-20 · CEO Dave McKay: RBC considers blocking Meta’s Muse AI agent. META.
2026-10-20 · NVIDIA Is Finally “Too Big to Fail.” Here’s Why Meta and Google Aren’t.
Short summaries of recent market headlines about these companies, their leaders and partners; not verified by CapitalSnitch.
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How this article was made: it was generated from SEC filings and market data with automated tools and is published under Elise Bennett's editorial responsibility. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
Sources: SEC EDGAR (Form 4, 8-K/6-K, prospectuses, XBRL share counts) and daily closing prices. Insider sales are often routine (taxes, diversification, pre-planned 10b5-1 plans). Not investment advice.
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