Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC Sells 1,215 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Azimuth Capital Investment Management reduced its Meta stake by 3.1%, selling 1,215 shares and retaining 38,210 shares valued at approximately $21.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own about 79.9% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: several firms raised their price targets, and Meta has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average target of $785.90.
• Meta faces mixed signals as AI initiatives and potential monetization opportunities support the stock, while insider selling, heavy AI infrastructure spending, regulatory litigation and a reported Muse security vulnerability add risks.

Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,210 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,215 shares during the period. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $21,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of META. Riverview Capital Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Riverview Capital Advisers LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $885,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Advisory Solutions Group LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at about $853,000. Rose Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $1,106,000. Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, NI Acquisitions Company LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $339,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on META. Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $680.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Benchmark restated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $640.00 to $796.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $785.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total value of $643,535.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,646,237.90. This trade represents a 8.83% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 123,333 shares of company stock valued at $80,795,845. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse momentum remains the main bullish catalyst. Early reviews, rising user traction and Meta’s new early-access program for upcoming Muse features are reinforcing expectations that the AI assistant could become a major consumer product and future revenue stream. Meta opens early access program for new Muse features
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising price targets. Deutsche Bank, TD Cowen, Canaccord Genuity and other firms lifted targets and maintained bullish ratings, citing Muse’s potential to expand Meta beyond advertising through subscriptions, commerce and AI services. Meta price targets raised as Muse gains momentum
• Positive Sentiment: AI hardware could broaden Muse’s distribution. Meta is integrating Muse into Ray-Ban AI glasses and introducing additional wearable and VR products, creating potential new hardware, services and commerce opportunities.
• Neutral Sentiment: Friday’s decline appears largely technical. After rising roughly 36% during September and approaching a $2 trillion market value, Meta faced profit-taking and a pullback from recent highs. Bullish options activity suggests some traders continue to view the weakness as a buying opportunity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Large capital spending remains a key debate. Investors are encouraged by Meta’s AI strategy but remain uncertain whether heavy spending on infrastructure and Reality Labs will generate sufficient returns.
• Negative Sentiment: New Mexico litigation adds regulatory risk. A jury found that Meta misled state residents in a case related to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, potentially increasing legal costs and scrutiny. Meta misled consumers in New Mexico jury case
• Negative Sentiment: A Muse security vulnerability was identified. Meta is adding clearer safety warnings after a vulnerability reportedly could expose sensitive user information, raising concerns about trust and adoption of its AI agent. Meta bolsters Muse safety warning after vulnerability
• Negative Sentiment: Competition and monetization obstacles remain. Amazon blocked Muse from accessing its platform, while privacy concerns around camera-equipped glasses and skepticism toward new AI hardware could limit Meta’s growth plans.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a cautionary signal. Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares and COO Javier Olivan sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The transactions do not necessarily indicate reduced confidence, but they add to concerns after the stock’s rapid advance.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $751.66 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.91 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $615.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $613.07.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

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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