132,856 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its Meta stake by 49.1% in the third quarter, adding 132,856 shares to reach 403,580 shares valued at about $293.7 million.
• Meta beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $7.40 per share and $64.6 billion in revenue; revenue rose 26.1% year over year.
• COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Meta shares carry a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average analyst price target of $833.12.

Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 49.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 403,580 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 132,856 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.3% of Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $293,737,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kimelman & Baird LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $933,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. American State Bank Iowa boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. American State Bank Iowa now owns 1,117 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $810,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. now owns 1,921 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,418,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Henderson Brothers Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Henderson Brothers Financial Partners LLC now owns 699 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rayburn West Financial Services LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC now owns 14,411 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,451,000 after buying an additional 3,131 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $631.03, for a total value of $596,954.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 3,148 shares in the company, valued at $1,986,482.44. This represents a 23.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 150,973 shares of company stock valued at $103,128,307. 13.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $623.61 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The stock has a market cap of $1.59 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $679.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $631.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.25 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.16%.

Meta Platforms News Summary

Investors following META have been watching these news items:

• Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan plans to leave in early 2027, with former AWS executive David Brown set to take over. The handoff is planned, though the leadership change comes as Meta expands its AI computing infrastructure. Meta Head of Infrastructure Will Leave
• Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan reported stock sales under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Such planned sales are not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook, but may still draw investor attention. SEC ownership filing
• Negative Sentiment: United Airlines barred AI agents from booking flights, raising doubts about a prominent potential use case for Meta’s Muse agent and adding pressure to expectations for AI-related growth. United Airlines Bars AI Agents From Booking Tickets

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on META. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Moffett Nathanson lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $920.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $1,000.00 to $995.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Pivotal Research boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Profile

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.

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