The takeaway
Meta Platforms Inc. shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in January (+7.9%) and softest in October (−4.2%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 70% of years, averaging +3.0%, about +0.9 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Meta Platforms Inc.'s most dependable month has been January, higher in 7 of 10 years; October has been its least reliable, up just 30% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in January (+8.1 pts); it has trailed the market most in October (−5.3 pts).
“vs S&P” is Meta Platforms Inc.’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Meta Platforms Inc.’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, January has closed higher 60% of the time versus 70% across the last 10 years — the pattern is strengthening.
Figures are the typical (median) January return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Dependability is the through-line here. January stands out, higher in 7 of 10 Januaries, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+7.9%) and median (+10.6%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. That reliability comes with real swings, mind — even January ranges by 9.9% from year to year, so any single year can land far from the average. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: January has cleared the S&P 500 by +8.1 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages January only about 53% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: March, April, and May have also closed higher more often than not. At the other end of the calendar, October has been the soft spot — the weakest of 3 months that average a loss (−4.2%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in October, September, and February. Its roughest month on record was a −33.8% February in 2022 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
If anything it has sharpened recently — the last five Januaries run ahead of the earlier years.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: January aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (January), its worst (October), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2016 its best month (January, +7.9%) has run well ahead of its worst (October, −4.2%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
January has been the strongest, averaging +7.9% and closing higher in 7 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −4.2% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade