1,086 Shares in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Purchased by Spartan Planning & Wealth Management

Key Points

• Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased 1,086 Meta Platforms shares during the third quarter, valued at approximately $788,000. Institutional investors collectively own about 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta insiders sold 148,222 shares worth roughly $101 million over the past 90 days, including sales by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and insider Christopher Cox under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.
• Meta shares opened at $762.50, near their 52-week high, while analysts maintained an overall “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $796.51. The company reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth in its latest quarter but missed the consensus EPS estimate.

Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,086 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $788,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% 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 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $762.50 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.94 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $647.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $622.44.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.91%.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta introduced Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, frontier AI models designed for complex, multi-step personal and professional tasks. The launch supports the view that Meta is catching up with OpenAI and Anthropic while creating potential subscription and advertising opportunities. Meta Platforms Introduces AI Tools to Fine-Tune Facebook Algorithms
• Positive Sentiment: Third-party app data reportedly showed strong early retention for Meta’s standalone Muse assistant, helping ease concerns about slowing downloads and reinforcing expectations that the company’s AI investments can improve engagement and monetization. Why Meta Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street support strengthened, with Truist assigning a $1,000 price target and KeyCorp and Rosenblatt reaffirming bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively. Analysts cited Muse adoption and AI-driven advertising improvements as catalysts. Social Media Stocks Rally as Truist Sets $1,000 Meta Target
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s partnership with Virtuix expanded, with Omni One orders reportedly tripling year over year after becoming available for Meta Quest. The development provides modest support for demand across Meta’s virtual-reality ecosystem. Virtuix Deepens Meta Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Facebook is giving users more control over feed-ranking algorithms. The move may improve user trust and engagement, although greater personalization controls could affect content distribution and ad performance. Facebook Gives Users More Algorithm Control
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain cautious about Meta’s premium valuation and substantial AI spending, with planned capital expenditures reportedly reaching $130 billion to $145 billion. Third-quarter results, scheduled for October 21, will be important for validating AI monetization and revenue guidance. Meta Q3 Preview

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $865.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. DZ Bank reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Arete Research lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective (down from $700.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $796.51.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

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