14,393 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Avity Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Avity Investment Management reduced its Meta stake by 16.6%, selling 14,393 shares in the third quarter and retaining 72,549 shares valued at approximately $52.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta.
• Meta reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, although quarterly EPS of $6.18 missed the $7.19 consensus estimate. Heavy AI and data-center spending also sharply reduced free cash flow.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $791.86, while highlighting AI-driven advertising and new products as potential catalysts alongside regulatory, adoption and monetization risks.

Avity Investment Management Inc. cut its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 16.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 72,549 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 14,393 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for about 3.2% of Avity Investment Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Avity Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $52,611,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Watchman Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,913,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Penney Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $869,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $564,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Tenzing Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $726,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Advertising remains the core bullish argument. Meta’s revenue increased 28% year over year to $60.8 billion in fiscal second-quarter 2026, and micro-drama content is emerging as a potential source of incremental advertising demand. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Meta’s AI-driven growth. TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $865 price target, while Wells Fargo sees a path toward a substantially higher valuation if AI improves ad performance and creates new revenue streams. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its AI ecosystem. The company’s Muse agent, enterprise AI platform and AI-enabled smart-glasses strategy could provide new commerce, productivity and hardware opportunities beyond traditional social-media advertising. Meta’s decision to ban ByteDance and TikTok advertising in several markets also intensifies its competitive positioning. Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Decision to Pull the Trigger on Meta’s A.I. Agent
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment is producing both growth and financial strain. Revenue growth is strong, but free cash flow fell to $784 million from $8.55 billion a year earlier as data-center and AI infrastructure spending surged. Investors need evidence that Muse and other AI projects can eventually generate returns. Meta’s Sales Jumped 28% While Free Cash Flow Shrank
• Negative Sentiment: Muse faces adoption and monetization obstacles. Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked the agent, while Amazon reportedly blocked it, potentially delaying Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered commerce. Analysts also question whether the service can become profitable at scale. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by one-third of websites tested
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and reputational risks remain a drag. Florida is pursuing restrictions on teen access and infinite-scroll features, while criticism surrounding the film The Social Reckoning and Meta’s handling of harmful AI-generated content could increase scrutiny. A planned-transaction sale by COO Javier Olivan adds a modest insider-selling concern. Meta Stock Falls as Florida Asks a Court to Switch Off Infinite Scroll for Teens

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of META opened at $718.67 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $640.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $620.09. The company has a market cap of $1.83 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on META. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $796.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group lowered 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $791.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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