Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 6.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,607 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,805 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.2% of Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $32,758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in META. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 192,591,101 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $142,149,566,000 after purchasing an additional 1,532,568 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $64,158,971,000 after buying an additional 1,650,435 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 51,575,209 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $37,902,948,000 after buying an additional 682,768 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 39,247,690 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $28,823,375,000 after buying an additional 278,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at $23,155,393,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Meta Platforms Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $613.71 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.55 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $479.80 and a twelve month high of $796.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $653.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $677.38.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The business had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.02 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.94%.
Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Meta is rolling out new Meta AI features for Facebook Marketplace (automated listing creation and pricing) that help monetize its ads/commerce funnel and show ongoing productization of AI. Meta AI Writes Listings and Sets Prices for Facebook Marketplace Sellers
- Positive Sentiment: Meta outlined an aggressive in‑house chip roadmap (MTIA series) focused on generative AI inference — this could lower long‑term inference costs and improve margins if deployed at scale. Meta Chip Roadmap Puts AI Inference And Costs In Sharper Focus
- Positive Sentiment: Several bullish takeaways: fund managers cite Meta’s cost discipline and scale as advantages, and some analysts/notes argue the stock is attractively valued among large cap AI beneficiaries. These views provide a counterweight to short‑term AI execution concerns. Cuggino likes Meta for cost discipline
- Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling: COO Javier Olivan disclosed sales in early March (files show multiple transactions). Sizeable insider sales can draw attention but don’t necessarily signal company fundamentals. SEC filing - Olivan insider sale
- Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny continues in the U.K. around child safety on platforms — a recurring policy risk that can affect product rollouts and compliance costs but is broadly anticipated by investors. UK watchdogs press Meta to block children
- Negative Sentiment: Avocado delay: Multiple outlets report Meta pushed the Avocado launch from this month to at least May after performance concerns, prompting investor worry about missed timelines and competitive positioning vs. Google/OpenAI. Meta Delays Rollout of New A.I. Model After Performance Concerns
- Negative Sentiment: Market reaction & scrutiny: Reports highlight that the delay increases scrutiny of Meta’s multibillion‑dollar AI investments and raises the risk of competitors pulling ahead, pressuring sentiment and the stock near term. Meta delays rollout of new AI model, NYT reports
- Negative Sentiment: Additional coverage frames the pause as a potential strategic cost — analysts and commentary ask whether Meta can afford to wait while rivals sprint ahead, amplifying short‑term downside risk. Avocado on Ice: Can Meta Afford to Pause?
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on META shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $900.00 price objective (up from $870.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $849.00 to $856.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $800.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $844.44.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Meta Platforms
Insider Activity at Meta Platforms
In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $634.94, for a total transaction of $587,954.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 15,187 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,642,833.78. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total value of $36,471,323.70. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 161,446 shares of company stock worth $103,451,688 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.
Meta Platforms Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report).
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