Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Has $11.37 Million Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services boosted its Meta Platforms stake by 58.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 17,226 shares valued at about $11.37 million.
• Insiders were selling shares: CTO Andrew Bosworth and COO Javier Olivan both reduced holdings in Rule 10b5-1 transactions tied to tax withholding, and insiders sold about $96.9 million worth of stock last quarter.
• Meta reported strong quarterly earnings, with EPS of $10.44 beating estimates and revenue of $56.31 billion topping expectations, while analysts remain broadly bullish with an average target price around $840.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 58.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,226 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 6,384 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $11,371,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Westchester Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth $26,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 36.8% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 78 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, Merrithew & Thorsten Inc acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth $52,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,847 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.83, for a total value of $4,769,642.01. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 414 shares in the company, valued at $251,641.62. The trade was a 94.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total transaction of $510,025.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 14,660 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,933,071. This trade represents a 5.40% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 152,728 shares of company stock worth $96,925,217 in the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $610.26 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $617.68 and a 200-day moving average of $637.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.35. The stock has a market cap of $1.54 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.43 EPS. Meta Platforms's quarterly revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.49 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched a standalone “Forum” app for Facebook Groups, signaling a new product push that could deepen user engagement and add pressure to competitors like Reddit. Meta quietly launches a new Reddit-like app called Forum
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is cutting jobs and shifting resources toward AI, which investors may view as an efficiency move that supports long-term profit margins and keeps the company focused on its biggest growth area. Meta Cuts 8,000 Jobs, Boosts AI Team: What This Means for Employees
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta also settled a school-district lawsuit over alleged social media addiction harms, removing one legal overhang, though the broader regulatory and litigation risk around its platforms remains. Texas sues Meta, WhatsApp over encryption privacy claims
• Neutral Sentiment: Other headlines around Meta’s dual-class control structure, insider share sales, and broader AI spending debate are adding to the narrative, but they are less likely to drive the stock on their own than the new app launch and workforce reshaping.
• Negative Sentiment: The Texas attorney general’s lawsuit against Meta and WhatsApp over encryption and privacy claims adds another legal risk for investors to monitor. Google, Meta, TikTok face EU consumer complaints about handling of financial scams
• Negative Sentiment: Competition concerns are also in focus after Meta’s Forum app appeared to pressure Reddit shares, reinforcing worries that Meta’s scale lets it copy or crowd out rival social platforms.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on META. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $900.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $810.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $840.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $840.19.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc NASDAQ: META, formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta's core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.

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