4,933 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Giverny Capital Inc.

Key Points

• Giverny Capital reduced its Meta Platforms stake by 1.6%, selling 4,933 shares and retaining 302,888 shares valued at approximately $170.6 million. Meta represents about 5.8% of the firm’s portfolio and is its third-largest holding.
• Institutional investors own approximately 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding shares, with several major firms—including Bank of America, Geode Capital and Invesco—recently increasing their positions.
• Meta reported strong 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, but missed quarterly earnings estimates. Analysts remain moderately bullish, while rising AI capital expenditures, competition and privacy concerns create risks.

Giverny Capital Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 302,888 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 4,933 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 5.8% of Giverny Capital Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Giverny Capital Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $170,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $34,734,628,000 after purchasing an additional 878,396 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $22,152,075,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 6.1% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched the Meta Enterprise Platform, offering businesses and developers access to its Muse AI agent, Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code. The company hired MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the initiative, signaling an effort to generate revenue from its multibillion-dollar AI investments beyond advertising. Meta launches enterprise AI platform
• Positive Sentiment: Muse’s integration across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp is supporting rapid user adoption; the AI-powered app reportedly reached the top spot in the U.S. App Store. Analysts also see potential revenue from subscriptions, transaction fees, enterprise tools and commercial API licensing. Meta Platforms boosts ad engagement with AI
• Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its price target on META to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating, citing the company’s AI opportunity and expanding ecosystem. AI improvements are also reportedly increasing ad engagement, clicks and conversions. Meta Platforms price target raised
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over Meta’s AI strategy. Bullish analysts expect new AI agents, smart glasses and enterprise software to create additional revenue streams, while others question whether the returns will justify the investment.
• Negative Sentiment: Capital expenditures rose sharply to $31.1 billion in the second quarter from $19.4 billion a year earlier. The scale of data-center and AI spending is raising concerns about returns on capital and near-term margins. Meta Platforms: Are You Going to Buy the Promise?
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that OpenAI is developing a competing AI assistant intensified competitive concerns. Separately, alleged Muse disclosures of private messages and a user’s address have triggered privacy and safety criticism, potentially creating regulatory and reputational risks. Elon Musk amplifies privacy concerns over Muse
• Negative Sentiment: Meta also faces legal and political overhang after a New Mexico jury found that Facebook misled residents about personal-data practices, while lawmakers are questioning AI and data-center tax subsidies. Recent gains have additionally left the valuation less compelling, increasing sensitivity to execution disappointments.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 4.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $715.62 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day moving average is $616.56 and its 200 day moving average is $613.27. The stock has a market cap of $1.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 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 quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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. 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 payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on META. Phillip Securities raised Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and cut their target price for the company from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. New Street Research dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $787.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total value of $643,535.42. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,646,237.90. The trade was a 8.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 company'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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 150,807 shares of company stock valued at $102,155,232 over the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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 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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