6,042 Shares in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Acquired by Sanders Morris Harris LLC

Key Points

• Sanders Morris Harris LLC acquired 6,042 Meta shares worth approximately $4.4 million in the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own about 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Meta receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $801.53, despite some target-price cuts and concerns about rising AI investment costs.
• Meta shares opened at $737.54 after declining 3.3%; the company’s latest quarterly results showed 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, but earnings per share of $6.18 fell short of estimates.

Sanders Morris Harris LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,042 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $4,416,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of META. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full AI models are strengthening its competitive position. Muse Wonder ranked second in a 57-model accounting benchmark, ahead of OpenAI and Google models, supporting the view that Meta is narrowing the gap with leading AI developers. Muse Wonder benchmark article
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $810 price target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850 and Truist maintained a bullish $1,000 target. Analysts cited Meta’s large user base, AI distribution and potential future revenue from personal AI agents. Bank of America AI outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded WhatsApp with free guest voice and video calling for non-account holders, potentially improving adoption and business utility by removing registration and download barriers. WhatsApp guest calling article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive but divided. KeyCorp and Rosenblatt reaffirmed bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively, while Goldman Sachs cut its target from $860 to $762 but retained a Buy rating. The differing views reflect uncertainty over AI monetization and investment requirements.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cited rising operating expenses, while other commentary warned that accelerated Meta Superintelligence Labs investment could pressure free cash flow and lead to valuation compression around the upcoming third-quarter earnings report.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan disclosed sales totaling 1,575 shares at an average $728.10. Both transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their signaling value, but the sales still represent a notable reduction in his direct holdings.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on META shares. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $700.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $801.53.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 3.3%

NASDAQ:META opened at $737.54 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $650.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $623.78.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted 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). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% 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. Insiders sold a total of 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 over the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate 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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