222,810 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management increased its Meta stake by 13.7%, buying 222,810 shares to reach 1.84 million shares valued at approximately $1.34 billion. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta reported a strong third quarter, with revenue rising 26.1% year over year to $64.6 billion and earnings of $7.40 per share, beating analyst expectations.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $833.12, although elevated AI infrastructure spending, negative free cash flow and ongoing legal risks remain concerns.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 13.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,844,944 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 222,810 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for 1.5% of Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned 0.07% of Meta Platforms worth $1,337,916,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in META. Corient Private Wealth LP lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 723.1% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $4,957,946,000 after purchasing an additional 7,732,446 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth approximately $2,948,486,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,036,491,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,784,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815,017 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $885.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Meta Platforms from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Pivotal Research increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 price target (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $833.12.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

Meta Platforms Trading Down 1.0%

Meta Platforms stock opened at $642.62 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $664.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $629.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The stock has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.25 earnings per share. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company's principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.

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