8,207 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by Geneva Partners LLC

Key Points

• Geneva Partners increased its Meta position by 87.2% in the third quarter, acquiring 8,207 additional shares for a total of 17,615 shares valued at approximately $12.8 million. Meta now represents about 3.8% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional investors own approximately 79.91% of Meta’s stock, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $833.12.
• Meta exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $7.40 in earnings per share and $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26.1% year over year. However, insiders have sold about 150,015 shares worth $102.5 million over the past 90 days.

Geneva Partners LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 87.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,615 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,207 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 3.8% of Geneva Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Geneva Partners LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $12,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sage Investment Counsel LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 30.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sage Investment Counsel LLC now owns 2,520 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares during the last quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC now owns 9,535 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,915,000 after buying an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 2,543 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,844,000 after buying an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 7.6% in the third quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC now owns 9,640 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,991,000 after buying an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, E6 Portfolios LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth approximately $200,000. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on META. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $885.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, CICC Research cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $833.12.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $640.00, for a total value of $605,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 5,040 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,225,600. This trade represents a 15.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 150,015 shares of company stock worth $102,464,300 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock opened at $614.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $670.03 and a 200 day moving average of $632.26. The company has a market cap of $1.57 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.25 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.16%.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta settled a teen lawsuit alleging that Instagram and Facebook contributed to addiction, depression and eating disorders. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the agreement removes Meta from an upcoming Los Angeles trial and reduces near-term litigation uncertainty. Reuters settlement report
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s advertising fundamentals remain strong: recent coverage cited higher ad pricing, rising impressions, improved AI-driven ad conversions and strong engagement. Analysts also see meaningful upside, with one fair-value estimate raised from $813.65 to $848.38 per share. Meta fair value report
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded its relationship with Advanced Micro Devices, including a $1 billion equity investment and multi-generation chip co-design for Meta’s AI data centers. The deal may improve access to computing capacity and supplier diversification. AMD and Meta partnership report

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's principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.

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