1,469 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Mystic Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• Mystic Asset Management reduced its Meta position by 9.2%, selling 1,469 shares and retaining 14,545 shares valued at approximately $10.55 million. Institutional investors collectively own about 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta shares recently traded at $709.33, with a market capitalization of roughly $1.81 trillion. The company’s latest quarterly revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, though earnings per share of $6.18 fell short of analyst expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $808.88, despite some target cuts and substantial insider selling under pre-arranged trading plans.

Mystic Asset Management Inc. cut its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 9.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,545 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,469 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up 2.3% of Mystic Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Mystic Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $10,548,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock traded down $27.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $709.33. 20,582,358 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,124,532. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $655.78 and a 200-day moving average of $625.86. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on META shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $762.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $808.88.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America
• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion
• Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits

Meta Platforms 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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