2,744 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by Kercheville Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Kercheville Advisors increased its Meta stake by 20.1%, acquiring 2,744 shares to own 16,378 shares valued at approximately $11.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26.1% year over year, while earnings of $7.40 per share exceeded estimates of $6.54. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $833.12.
• Despite strong operating results, Meta shares traded down 7% amid concerns over projected AI and data-center spending of $135 billion to $145 billion, negative free cash flow, potential dilution, and a $25 billion privacy-related legal judgment.

Kercheville Advisors LLC raised its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 20.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,378 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,744 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up 3.2% of Kercheville Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Kercheville Advisors LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $11,877,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Meta Platforms Trading Down 7.0%

Shares of META stock opened at $648.85 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $663.35 and its 200 day moving average is $629.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 31.74%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.25 EPS. Research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 price objective (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Moffett Nathanson cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $850.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Meta Platforms from $920.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Roth Capital lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta reported third-quarter revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26.1% year over year, while adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share exceeded analyst expectations. Advertising remained robust, supported by AI-driven engagement, higher ad prices and improved conversion rates. META's Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Meta said its Muse AI assistant surpassed 10 million users shortly after launch, strengthening the long-term case for new advertising, consumer and enterprise revenue opportunities. Meta says Muse has over 10M users
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms raised their price targets and maintained bullish ratings, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho and Pivotal Research, citing resilient advertising and improving AI prospects. Meta Stock Falls Despite Strong Q3 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta announced a 2-for-1 stock split and a new non-voting Class C share. The structure could help fund its AI buildout while preserving Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control, but it also raises concerns about future dilution and governance. Meta wants to pay for its AI buildout
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were alarmed by Meta’s capital-spending outlook of approximately $135 billion to $145 billion for 2026. Heavy data-center and AI investment pushed free cash flow negative, while credit-default-swap costs reached a record, intensifying concerns about debt or equity financing. Meta stock sinks as AI spend pushes free cash flow negative
• Negative Sentiment: A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in a Cambridge Analytica-related privacy case. Meta plans to appeal, but the verdict adds substantial legal, regulatory and reputational risk. Meta ordered to pay $25 billion to New Mexico
• Negative Sentiment: Broader technology-market weakness, AI-investment concerns and escalating Middle East tensions added to the selling pressure, making it harder for Meta’s earnings beat to support the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total value of $669,011.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 5,986 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,233,299.20. This trade represents a 13.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. 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. Insiders sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409 over the last 90 days. Company 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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