3,790 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Bought by B.A. Schrock Wealth Management Inc.

Key Points

• B.A. Schrock Wealth Management acquired 3,790 Meta Platforms shares worth approximately $2.75 million in the third quarter.
• Institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta, with major holders including Auto Owners Insurance, State Street, Bank of America, Invesco and UBS increasing their positions.
• Meta shares opened at $736.72, while analysts maintained a broadly positive outlook with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $803.39; however, company insiders sold about $102.2 million of stock over the past 90 days.

B.A. Schrock Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,790 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $2,751,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $69,502,379,000 after acquiring an additional 105,154,977 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the 1st 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. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,013,948,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $7,230,426,000 after purchasing an additional 162,909 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available 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 business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was 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. Insiders sold 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $736.72 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $653.44 and a 200 day moving average of $625.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. Meta Platforms's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on META shares. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Moffett Nathanson decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $865.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $803.39.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark Open model for coding and AI-agent tasks. The model can be downloaded and adapted by developers, broadening Meta’s reach in the AI ecosystem. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and agentic tasks
• Positive Sentiment: An Apple collaboration will enable developers to run Muse Spark Open locally on high-end Mac computers, potentially reducing reliance on cloud infrastructure and increasing model adoption. Apple and Meta team up to make Muse AI model run on Mac computers
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse Wonder model scored 83.2% on an accounting AI benchmark, tying for second place and outperforming OpenAI and Google models in that test. Bank of America maintained a Buy rating and an $810 target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850. Meta Is Back in the AI Race
• Positive Sentiment: Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms is preparing a major Indian IPO, which could provide visibility into the value of Meta’s strategic investment and partnership in the business. Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms IPO
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta has outperformed megacap peers and gained roughly 12% over the past month, increasing investor focus on whether the recent AI-driven rally can continue or whether some holders will take profits. Meta Just Climbed 12% in a Month
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s more than $130 billion AI investment program is reducing free cash flow, while Reality Labs continues to generate large losses. A roughly $10 billion legal charge and uncertainty around 2027 capital spending could add pressure ahead of the company’s expected October 21 earnings report. Meta: The Muse Rally Has Priced In the Good News Before Q3
• Negative Sentiment: Seven Democratic senators are seeking an explanation for Meta’s claimed $6.6 billion in research tax credits related to AI data centers, creating potential tax and policy risks for Meta and other large technology companies. Senators Want to Know Why Meta Claimed $6.6 Billion in Research Tax Credits
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reduced its price target to $762 because of rising operating expenses, though it retained a Buy rating. A COO’s disclosed sales were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and are therefore a limited signal of management sentiment.

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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