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Founded as Facebook in 2004, Meta Platforms Inc divides itself across two main business segments: Family of Apps (FoA) and Reality Labs (RL).
FoA includes social media platforms and messaging services such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. RL includes augmented and virtual reality-related consumer hardware, software and content.
However, the past success of Meta is no indicator of future performance and anyone thinking about investing should consider researching the company more thoroughly to better understand its potential benefits and risks.
Investing puts your capital at risk, and investors should be prepared to lose some or all of their investment.
How To Buy Meta shares
Once you’ve satisfied yourself about the reasons for buying shares in Meta, there are several steps to take:
1) Open an account
Whether you’re a seasoned trader or new to stock market-based investments, if you want to buy shares in Meta you’ll need to open an account with a broker.
Stockbroking is competitive and services for DIY investors range from online investing platforms to investment trading apps.
Before opening an account, it is important to:
- Keep your financial goals in mind
- Be prepared to ride out market ups and downs
- Keep trading costs to a minimum
- Remember that share investing can prompt tax charges.
And before buying any shares, ask yourself these questions:
- Should I take professional advice?
- Am I comfortable with the level of risk?
- What’s my budget?
- Can I afford to lose money?
- Do I understand the company in which I’m looking to invest?
- Am I protected if my platform provider/advisor goes out of business?
2) Know where Meta is traded
The ticker symbol for Meta is META and the company is traded on the Nasdaq exchange in the US.
The Nasdaq trading hours are 9.30am to 4pm (US Eastern Time) Monday to Friday.
You should be able to buy US shares through most broker accounts. Buying shares in US dollars incurs a foreign exchange fee (typically around 1%) unless you fund the purchase from a US dollar account.
Most brokers also charge a slightly higher transaction fee for buying US, rather than UK, shares although it’s worth comparing the fees charged by different brokers if you plan to trade US shares regularly.
Here are some factors you may want to know about buying and selling Meta shares.
Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.
You will be asked to complete a W-8BEN form (valid for three years) which allows you to benefit from a reduction in withholding tax for qualifying US dividends and interest from 30% to 15%. Holding US shares also carries exposure to foreign exchange risk. If the pound strengthens against the dollar, your shares will be worth less in sterling and vice versa.
Any profit made on shares, regardless of what exchange they are traded on, will be subject to capital gains tax (CGT) in the UK, unless you hold the shares in an individual savings account (ISA), or self-invested personal pension (SIPP).
Tax treatment depends on one’s individual circumstances and may be subject to future change. The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of tax advice.
3) Do your research
To find out more about Meta, visit its investor relations page.
4) Decide your investment strategy
People tend to invest either with a lump sum or via smaller, regular amounts.
The latter method is often referred to as ‘pound cost averaging’, which may help you pay less per share on average over time. Rather than waiting to build a lump sum, it means an investor’s money is put to use straight away.
5) Place an order
Once you’re ready to buy shares in Meta, log in to your investing account. Type in the ticker symbol META and the number of shares you want to buy, or the amount of money you want to invest.
6) Review Meta’s performance
Whether your share portfolio is crammed full of companies or holds only a handful of stocks, we believe it’s vital you review how each component is performing on a regular basis: monthly, quarterly, annually, or whichever frequency is appropriate.
Doing this enables you to review performance and determine if any adjustments to your holdings are required.
Meta stock price performance
The graph below displays the past performance of Meta. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
Investments in a currency other than sterling, are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing which may therefore affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin.
- Q4 revenue was $48.39bn and for 2024 full year was $164.50bn, representing increases of 21% and 22% year-on-year respectively
- Total Q4 costs and expenses were $25.02bn and for 2024 full year were $95.12bn, representing increases of 5% and 8% year-on-year respectively
- Net income for Q4 was $20.8bn. For the full year, it was $62.4bn
- Q4 diluted earnings per share of $8.02. For the full year, they were $23.86
- Capital return programme share repurchases of Class A common stock were nil and $29.75bn, and total dividend and dividend equivalent payments were $1.27bn and $5.07bn, for Q4 and full year 2024 respectively
- Daily active people at 3.35bn on average for December 2024, an increase of 5% year-on-year.
How to sell Meta shares
If you’re happy with the performance of your shares and want to take a profit, you’ll need to sell some or all of your holdings. To do this, log in to your investing platform, enter the ticker symbol and select the amount you want to sell.
If you’ve made a substantial profit, you may be liable to pay CGT when you sell your holdings, especially if your shares were held outside of a tax-exempt wrapper such as an ISA.
The CGT tax-free allowance for the tax year 2024-25 is £3,000. Find out more about CGT, rates and allowances.
Be mindful that the content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of tax advice.
Why consider owning shares?
Before buying shares in any company, ask yourself why you’re taking that decision. Does the company have potential prospects with a share price that could go from strength to strength?
Or is there takeover talk that could potentially drive up a company’s share price?
Maybe the company you’ve identified is on a recovery mission and its share price is starting to recover from previous lows.
How to invest in Meta via a fund
Investing directly in individual stocks can be an absorbing and, hopefully, profitable experience. It may also qualify you for shareholder perks specific to the company in question.
However, investing directly in individual companies can leave you more vulnerable to stock market volatility as well as unforeseen swings in share prices.
That’s why, financial experts recommend that most people invest in a diversified mix of asset classes and investment funds that hold hundreds, if not thousands, of company shares.
Being a major component of the Nasdaq index, Meta is found in many funds incorporating a bias towards the US.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Meta pay a dividend?
Meta paid its first ever dividend in 2024, and also announced a dividend in February 2025. As with any company, there is no guarantee that it will pay dividends in the future.
Can I buy Meta shares with a debit card?
Yes, in the sense that you’d need to add funds using a form of method of payment. One option is using an appointed card to an existing online investing service or trading app before making the share trade from there.
What does it cost to trade Meta shares?
This will vary depending on the investment service/platform that an investor is using to trade.
Broadly speaking, there are three main types of fees. First is a share trading fee that investors are charged by a platform each time they buy or sell shares.
Note that some platforms charge no fee for this activity, while others may charge a flat fee of typically between £6 and £12.
Second comes the platform fee which is typically levied as an annual fee charged for holding shares on a particular investing platform. Again, some providers impose no fee, others charge a flat fee, and some services charge a percentage, typically 0.25% to.0.45% per annum of the underlying portfolio.
If you buy or sell shares denominated in a foreign currency, nearly all of the investing platforms charge a foreign exchange fee. Again, this will vary among providers, but tends to sit in a range from 0.5% to 1.5% per transaction.
Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms.
You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.
