1,099 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Cresta Advisors Ltd.

Key Points

• Cresta Advisors Ltd. cut its Meta Platforms stake by 23.1% in the third quarter, selling 1,099 shares and retaining 3,649 shares valued at approximately $2.65 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta shares were trading near $762.50, up 2.6%, supported by optimism around its new Muse AI models, strong early assistant retention, and bullish analyst targets, including Truist’s $1,000 price target.
• Investors remain focused on whether Meta’s substantial AI spending—projected capital expenditures of $130 billion to $145 billion—will generate sufficient monetization, with quarterly results due October 21. The company recently missed EPS estimates despite reporting 28% year-over-year revenue growth.

Cresta Advisors Ltd. reduced its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,649 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,099 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.3% of Cresta Advisors Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Cresta Advisors Ltd.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of META. Stone Summit Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth $236,000. MFA Wealth Services grew its position in Meta Platforms by 5.1% in the third quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 1,113 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $807,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. XY Planning Network Inc. grew its position in Meta Platforms by 13.3% in the third quarter. XY Planning Network Inc. now owns 1,650 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,197,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Red Crane Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Red Crane Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,052 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,213,000 after buying an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 33,140 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $24,032,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

Meta Platforms Trading Up 2.6%

META stock opened at $762.50 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.94 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $647.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $622.44.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. 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, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.08, for a total value of $688,763.68. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 7,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,735,814.24. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $770.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. New Street Research dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho set a $750.00 price objective on Meta Platforms and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $796.51.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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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