Aries Wealth Management Increases Stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Aries Wealth Management increased its Meta Platforms stake by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 930 more shares and bringing its total to 10,496 shares worth about $6.93 million.
• Meta’s latest earnings were strong, with EPS of $10.44 beating estimates and revenue rising 33.1% year over year to $56.31 billion. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $840.31.
• The stock has seen mixed sentiment: analysts are upbeat about Meta’s AI and growth prospects, but investors are watching its huge 2026 capex plan and reports of internal friction tied to the company’s AI push.

Aries Wealth Management lifted its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,496 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 930 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.5% of Aries Wealth Management's holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Aries Wealth Management's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $6,928,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. First National Bank Sioux Falls boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls now owns 2,001 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,321,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. American Capital Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 3,121 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,060,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Carrera Capital Advisors raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 50.2% during the 4th quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 1,391 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $918,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Skylands Capital LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 26.1% during the 4th quarter. Skylands Capital LLC now owns 8,205 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $5,416,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caldwell Trust Co boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 8,812 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $5,817,000 after buying an additional 1,447 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain bullish on Meta Platforms, with recent notes from firms like BofA and Erste Group lifting earnings estimates or price targets after strong Q1 results, reinforcing expectations for meaningful upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s AI push is drawing attention as the company reportedly works on AI agents and improved models like Muse Spark, which could support new products and future monetization opportunities. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces continue to frame Meta as an important AI and large-cap tech name, but these are mostly opinion-driven and do not add new fundamental information for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta was also mentioned in a deal roundup about acquiring Assured Robot Intelligence, but the report provided little detail, so the market impact is unclear. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reports highlighting employee dissatisfaction and impending layoffs suggest Meta’s AI transformation is creating internal friction, while also reminding investors that the company’s AI ambitions come with higher costs. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains centered on Meta’s enormous 2026 capex plan, estimated at $125 billion to $145 billion, which is fueling fears that profitability could come under pressure before AI investments pay off. Article Title

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.2%

META stock opened at $609.63 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.54 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 2.35. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $796.25. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $627.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $645.30.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The company had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.56 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.43 earnings per share. Meta Platforms's revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush boosted their price target on Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $900.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Four equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $840.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total value of $386,860.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,565,949. This represents a 13.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.74, for a total transaction of $562,767.24. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 7,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,727,609.46. This represents a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 168,193 shares of company stock valued at $107,642,717. 13.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.