3,166 Shares in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Acquired by Sun Financial Inc

Key Points

• Sun Financial Inc disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Meta Platforms, buying 3,166 shares worth about $2.09 million. The stake represents roughly 1.2% of Sun Financial’s holdings and makes META its 22nd-largest position.
• Meta’s latest quarterly results were stronger than expected, with EPS of $10.44 versus estimates of $6.67 and revenue of $56.31 billion topping forecasts. Revenue rose 33.1% year over year, highlighting continued growth in the business.
• Despite strong fundamentals, Meta is facing a mix of insider selling and legal/regulatory pressure, including lawsuits over scam ads, teen mental health claims, and publisher compensation in Italy. Analysts remain mostly positive overall, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $840.31.

Sun Financial Inc bought a new position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 3,166 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $2,090,000. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 1.2% of Sun Financial Inc's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Westchester Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 78 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 64.8% in the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PMV Capital Advisers LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 26.3% during the fourth quarter. PMV Capital Advisers LLC now owns 96 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $616.63 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $796.25. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $623.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $641.75. The company has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.43 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding WhatsApp’s privacy tools with a new “incognito” mode for AI chats, which could help ease user concerns and support adoption of its AI features. Reuters article on WhatsApp incognito mode
• Positive Sentiment: The company also introduced more private messaging and sharing products, including an Instagram feature and additional AI privacy controls, which may help strengthen engagement and user trust over time. CNET article on Instagram Instants
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is reportedly preparing to monetize WhatsApp more aggressively through a premium subscription model, which could eventually add high-margin recurring revenue, but the financial impact is still speculative. Seeking Alpha article on WhatsApp Plus
• Negative Sentiment: Santa Clara County filed a lawsuit accusing Meta of profiting from scam ads on Facebook and Instagram, adding to concerns that the company may face restitution, damages, and stricter oversight of its ad systems. Business Wire article on Santa Clara County complaint
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported that Meta is challenging New Mexico’s proposed $3.7 billion remedy in the teen mental health trial, underscoring the scale of potential liabilities from social media-related lawsuits. Reuters article on New Mexico trial
• Negative Sentiment: Separate reports said Meta lost a court fight in Italy over paying publishers for news snippets, reinforcing that international regulation could create additional costs and legal pressure. Reuters article on Italian publishers ruling

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $604.57, for a total value of $559,831.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 6,853 shares in the company, valued at $4,143,118.21. The trade was a 11.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total transaction of $386,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,565,949. This trade represents a 13.10% 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 three months, insiders sold 169,231 shares of company stock valued at $108,239,954. 13.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on META. Tigress Financial raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $935.00 to $945.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $765.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $840.31.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc NASDAQ: META, formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta's core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.

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