META Stock: $178B Shareholder Supremacy

Core Insights - Meta Platforms has returned $178 billion to shareholders over the past decade through dividends and buybacks, showcasing a strong shareholder-focused strategy that has led to exceptional market performance in 2025 [3][5] - The company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share, reflecting management's confidence in its cash generation capabilities [4] - Meta's Q2 2025 performance included $47.52 billion in revenue, a 21.6% year-over-year increase, and earnings per share of $7.14, significantly exceeding consensus estimates [5] Financial Performance - Meta's revenue growth for the last twelve months (LTM) stands at 19.4%, with a three-year average growth rate of 13.0% [12] - The company has a free cash flow margin of approximately 30.7% and an operating margin of 42.9% LTM [12] - The lowest annual revenue growth recorded in the past three years was 0.9% [12] Shareholder Returns - Meta ranks sixth in history for total capital returned to shareholders, indicating strong performance in dividends and buybacks [7] - The annualized yield from the recent dividend declaration is approximately 0.28% [4] - The capital returned to shareholders as a percentage of market cap appears inversely proportional to growth opportunities for reinvestment [8] Competitive Landscape - Meta faces increasing competition from AI-driven platforms, such as OpenAI's Sora 2-powered social video app, which could challenge its market position [5] - Despite competitive pressures, Meta's financial resilience is evident through its robust revenue and earnings performance [5] Valuation Metrics - Meta is currently trading at a P/E multiple of 28.2, reflecting its valuation in the market [12]