3,960 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Maestria Partners LLC

Key Points

• Maestria Partners reduced its Meta stake by 15.3% in the second quarter, selling 3,960 shares and retaining 22,000 shares valued at approximately $12.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta insiders have also been selling shares, including CFO Susan Li and COO Javier Olivan under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. Insiders sold 123,333 shares worth about $80.8 million over the past 90 days.
• Meta shares opened at $777.59, near their 52-week high, while analysts maintained a broadly positive outlook with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $780.12. The company reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth but missed quarterly EPS estimates, and announced a $0.525 quarterly dividend.

Maestria Partners LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,000 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 3,960 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 4.3% of Maestria Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Maestria Partners LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $12,392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 6.8% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 136,631 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $76,963,000 after buying an additional 8,707 shares during the last quarter. Prosperitas Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 11.7% in the second quarter. Prosperitas Financial LLC now owns 13,802 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $7,774,000 after acquiring an additional 1,446 shares during the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 11.1% in the second quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 1,000,247 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $563,429,000 after acquiring an additional 99,835 shares during the last quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. now owns 5,907 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $3,328,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXQ Capital LP boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. AXQ Capital LP now owns 4,945 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,785,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total transaction of $2,012,047.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. The trade was a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 123,333 shares of company stock worth $80,795,845. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 4.5%

NASDAQ META opened at $777.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.98 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $613.05 and a 200-day moving average of $612.10.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. President Capital raised Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $660.00 to $897.00 in a report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 price objective (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Monness Crespi & Hardt decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $890.00 to $730.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. HSBC lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $780.12.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse is strengthening Meta’s AI growth narrative. Muse reportedly reached the top of Apple’s U.S. free-app rankings and recorded approximately 642,000 U.S. daily active users during its first 12 days—outpacing ChatGPT’s early adoption at a comparable stage. Analysts see potential revenue from subscriptions, advertising, commerce and business services. Meta unveils Muse Charm handheld device as AI agent's user base grows
• Positive Sentiment: Meta unveiled a broader AI hardware ecosystem. The company announced the Muse Charm handheld device for a planned December launch, camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses and $1,299 Meta VR Glasses. Investors view these products as potential distribution channels for Muse and evidence that Meta is moving beyond advertising. Mark Zuckerberg debuts Meta VR Glasses and Muse Charm
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price targets moved higher. JPMorgan raised its target to $920, Tigress Financial to $995, Loop Capital to $955, and Citizens JMP to $885. Several firms cited Muse’s potential to become a major consumer AI platform and a new monetization engine. Meta stock rises as analysts raise price targets
• Positive Sentiment: Agentic commerce could expand Meta’s revenue sources. Shopify, Instacart and other commerce partners are helping Muse facilitate transactions, potentially allowing Meta to earn fees on purchases rather than relying solely on ad impressions. Amazon blocked Meta’s AI shopping agent
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data is inconclusive. One report described a large increase in short interest but also listed total short interest at zero shares, indicating a likely data inconsistency rather than a meaningful change in bearish positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning the cost of Meta’s AI push. Capital spending is projected to approach $145 billion, while reports point to sharply lower free cash flow. The stock’s strong recent rally also raises the risk of profit-taking and a valuation reset if monetization takes longer than expected. Meta surpassed Wall Street’s price target
• Negative Sentiment: Competition and privacy concerns remain. Amazon blocked Muse from accessing its marketplace, while backlash over camera-equipped glasses and broader AI privacy issues could slow adoption or increase regulatory scrutiny. Several Meta insiders also sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.