12,856 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Bought by WINTON GROUP Ltd

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its Meta stake by 90.6% in the second quarter, buying 12,856 shares to hold 27,048 shares worth approximately $15.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta.
• Meta is expanding its AI business through Muse for Small Business and the Meta Enterprise Platform, creating potential new subscription, commerce and enterprise-software revenue streams, although rising AI costs, competition from OpenAI and privacy concerns remain risks.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $787.86. Meta shares opened at $739.43, while recent earnings showed 28% year-over-year revenue growth but an EPS miss.

WINTON GROUP Ltd boosted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 90.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,048 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 12,856 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $15,236,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC now owns 9,150 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,154,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the period. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 16.9% in the second quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. now owns 932 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advantage Inc. increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.4% in the second quarter. Capital Advantage Inc. now owns 2,550 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,436,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 8.3% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 19,032 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,720,000 after buying an additional 1,466 shares during the period. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 20,214 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $11,386,000 after buying an additional 1,164 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded Muse for Small Business, adding integrations with Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Dropbox and Slack. The initiative could create subscription, transaction and enterprise-software revenue streams while reducing the company’s reliance on digital advertising. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Muse’s rapid adoption and potential to become a multibillion-dollar growth catalyst. Its integration with Meta’s large Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp user base may support future subscriptions, commerce fees, advertising improvements and AI-api revenue. Beyond advertising: analysts align on Meta Muse
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s push into business AI was reinforced by its new Meta Enterprise Platform and the hiring of former MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the effort. The move signals an attempt to monetize substantial AI infrastructure spending through corporate customers. Meta launches enterprise AI platform
• Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its META price target to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating. Analysts also point to AI-driven increases in advertising engagement, clicks and conversions as evidence that current investments may strengthen Meta’s core business. Meta Platforms price target raised
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares for approximately $21.4 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance, it is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. Mark Zuckerberg sells Meta shares
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI unveiled its always-on Dots agents, creating a direct competitive threat to Muse in consumer and enterprise AI. Reports that Muse exposed private information, including a user’s address, also raise privacy, safety, regulatory and reputational risks. OpenAI unveils Dots agents
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to weigh Meta’s sharply higher AI and data-center expenses against uncertain returns. The company also faces scrutiny over teen safety, data practices and potential regulation, which could increase costs or constrain monetization.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total value of $643,535.42. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,770 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,646,237.90. The trade was a 8.83% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 150,307 shares of company stock valued at $101,851,357. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on META. Roth Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $700.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $787.86.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $739.43 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $618.47 and a 200 day moving average of $613.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

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). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during 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 company's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.91%.

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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