20,479 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by Alps Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Alps Advisors increased its Meta stake by 50.8% in the third quarter, adding 20,479 shares to hold 60,785 shares valued at about $44.1 million.
• Institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta shares. Company insiders sold 149,398 shares worth about $102.1 million in the last quarter.
• Meta beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 26.1% year over year. Analysts’ average rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $833.12.

Alps Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 50.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,785 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 20,479 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $44,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Providence First Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 188.1% during the third quarter. Providence First Trust Co now owns 3,163 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,294,000 after acquiring an additional 2,065 shares in the last quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.1% during the third quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $4,332,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Asset One Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.7% in the third quarter. Asset One Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,405 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $13,347,000 after purchasing an additional 2,352 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 3,118 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,261,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Finally, Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at $428,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the 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 sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $462,024. This trade represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 149,398 shares of company stock valued at $102,134,435 in the last quarter. 13.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on META shares. Deutsche Bank upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. China Renaissance lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of META opened at $628.77 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $678.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $632.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.16%.

More Meta Platforms News

These are some of the META news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan named Meta its preferred internet stock, citing AI’s contribution to advertising performance and potential growth in Family of Apps ad revenue. Article: Meta Platforms Wins JPMorgan Backing
• Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan is set to leave in early 2027, with former AWS executive David Brown slated to succeed him and lead infrastructure work tied to Meta’s AI computing initiative. The planned succession may support continuity, though the leadership change comes during a major infrastructure buildout. Article: Meta head of infrastructure will leave and be succeeded by former AWS cloud exec
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s Facebook was fined by Brazil’s electoral court over alleged failure to provide equal content during a presidential campaign, adding regulatory and reputational risk. Article: Meta Fined by Brazil Electoral Court

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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