Altman Advisors Inc. Acquires 1,031 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Altman Advisors increased its Meta stake by 14.3% in the second quarter, purchasing 1,031 shares to own 8,256 shares valued at approximately $4.65 million. Meta now represents 1.7% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional investors own nearly 80% of Meta’s outstanding shares, while the stock recently traded at $665.60, below its 52-week high of $790.80.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year, but its $6.18 earnings per share missed analyst expectations. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $788.88, and Meta declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.

Altman Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 14.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,256 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 1,031 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises 1.7% of Altman Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Altman Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $4,651,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of META. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% in 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 buying an additional 878,396 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $22,152,075,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,013,948,000 after buying an additional 1,046,715 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META opened at $665.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.07, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.25. The company's 50-day moving average is $602.89 and its 200-day moving average is $608.92. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $790.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for 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%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Friday. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $883.00 to $886.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $788.88.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI strategy is boosting investor confidence. Goldman Sachs reiterated its bullish view, citing the rollout of Meta’s Muse AI agent and a recent legal settlement as potential catalysts. Analysts also argue that Meta’s valuation remains attractive relative to its growth, with one estimate assigning an $817 price target. Why is Meta stock gaining in premarket today
• Positive Sentiment: Advertising momentum supports earnings expectations. A bullish analysis highlighted second-quarter ad impressions growth of 14% and a 12% increase in average ad prices. Meta’s forward PEG ratio was also described as below both the sector median and its five-year average, suggesting investors may still view the stock as reasonably valued despite its recent rally. Meta Platforms: AI Spending Is Starting To Pay Off
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is benefiting from a shift in AI sentiment. Shares of Meta and Alphabet gained while AI-chip stocks weakened after several AI executives called for a slower approach to developing frontier models. Investors may be favoring Meta because its large user base and advertising business provide diversified ways to monetize AI. Why Google and Meta Stocks Are the Big Winners From the Latest AI Concerns
• Neutral Sentiment: AI investment is creating both opportunity and financial risk. AI-related debt issuance has surged, and Meta is viewed as better positioned than highly leveraged infrastructure providers because of its stronger cash generation. Nevertheless, the scale of data-center spending could pressure free cash flow and increase execution risk. AI-Related Debt Sales Are Near $500 Billion
• Negative Sentiment: Meta faces a proposed class-action lawsuit over smart-glasses privacy. Parents and children in California and Illinois allege that the company’s unreleased “NameTag” facial-recognition feature improperly used Facebook and Instagram data. The case could create legal costs, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage if the allegations gain traction. Meta Faces Lawsuit Over Smart Glasses Facial Recognition
• Negative Sentiment: Content-moderation and insider-selling headlines add caution. Meta’s Oversight Board urged it not to replace professional fact-checking with Community Notes, while a reported insider stock sale worth about $13 million may weigh modestly on sentiment. These developments raise governance and reputational concerns, although neither necessarily changes Meta’s underlying operating outlook. Oversight Board asks Meta not to replace fact-checking with Community Notes

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total transaction of $13,005,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 244,516 shares in the company, valued at $159,003,864.48. The trade was a 7.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Curtis Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $869,922.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,957 shares in the company, valued at $1,092,006. The trade was a 44.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 60,183 shares of company stock valued at $36,673,495. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.

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