LeConte Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• LeConte Wealth Management LLC purchased 1,225 shares of Meta Platforms, Inc., totaling approximately $706,000, making it the firm's 23rd largest holding.
• CEO Mark Zuckerberg and insider Christopher K. Cox sold a significant number of shares, with Zuckerberg liquidating 15,847 shares for around $11.9 million and Cox selling 60,000 shares for about $46.6 million.
• Analysts are optimistic about Meta's stock, with multiple brokerages raising their price targets; the average target now stands at $822.41 and consensus ratings indicate a "Moderate Buy."

LeConte Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,225 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $706,000. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 0.4% of LeConte Wealth Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 60,117 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $34,645,000 after purchasing an additional 5,983 shares during the period. Round Hill Asset Management bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth about $325,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 44.0% during the 1st quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 237,595 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $136,941,000 after purchasing an additional 72,562 shares in the last quarter. Adams Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 28.6% in the first quarter. Adams Wealth Management now owns 1,164 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $670,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 2.9% during the first quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 4,958 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,858,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 15,847 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $753.43, for a total transaction of $11,939,605.21. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,332 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $764.71, for a total transaction of $14,018,663.72. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 84,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $64,343,464.11. This trade represents a 17.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 313,803 shares of company stock valued at $235,276,424. Insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META traded down $15.89 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $751.48. 12,216,778 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,316,512. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $726.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $656.42. The company has a market cap of $1.89 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $479.80 and a 1 year high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The social networking company reported $7.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.75 by $1.39. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 39.99% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The company had revenue of $47.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.16 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Meta Platforms has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is 7.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 price target (up from $725.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, July 28th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $725.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $822.41.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.