1,163 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC

Key Points

• ARQ Wealth Advisors cut its Meta stake by 32.7%, selling 1,163 shares in the third quarter and retaining 2,397 shares valued at $1.738 million.
• Meta reported quarterly earnings of $7.40 per share, beating the $6.54 consensus estimate; revenue of $64.6 billion also topped forecasts and rose 26.1% year over year.
• Institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta shares, with several major firms increasing their holdings. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $833.12.

ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,397 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,163 shares during the period. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $1,738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Corient Private Wealth LP lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 723.1% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $4,957,946,000 after acquiring an additional 7,732,446 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,948,486,000. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $6,784,873,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched Spaces, a collaboration feature for its Muse AI agents, following the rollout of Muse Voice. The new offerings may help strengthen user engagement and expand Meta’s consumer AI ecosystem. Meta introduces Spaces
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings commentary points to AI supporting Meta’s advertising operations, reinforcing the potential for the company’s AI investments to generate revenue. Takeaways from recent earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta paused planned updates to its terms and is keeping existing rules in place. The move avoids an immediate policy change, though the underlying issues remain unresolved. Meta pauses planned terms updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Plans for new nonvoting Class C shares have been described as effectively creating a 2-for-1 split. A split changes the number of shares, but does not by itself change the company’s underlying value; the structure preserves Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. Is Meta Platforms next for a stock split?
• Negative Sentiment: Meta and other platforms sued to block California restrictions on social-media features for users under 16. The case adds regulatory uncertainty and potential legal costs. Platforms sue over California teen social-media law
• Negative Sentiment: Meta warned that political backlash and possible limits on data-center construction could complicate its AI expansion. Its $15 billion senior-notes offering also highlights the scale of financing required for investment. Data-center expansion concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Reported ETF net selling and insider share sales may add short-term pressure, although the disclosed insider transaction was made under a pre-arranged trading plan. ETFs are net sellers of Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:META opened at $610.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90. The firm has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28. The firm's fifty day moving average is $674.97 and its 200-day moving average is $632.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The company's revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.25 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid 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 currently 7.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on META. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Yorkville Ives initiated coverage on Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $900.00 price target for the company. China Renaissance cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% 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 have sold 151,090 shares of company stock worth $103,150,807 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world.

The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta's business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.

Founded in 2004 as Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow students, the company changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building social technologies and immersive digital experiences.

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