Beacon Financial Group Raises Stock Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Beacon Financial Group increased its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. by 7.2%, now owning 6,725 shares valued at approximately $4.96 million.
• Meta's share performance has attracted attention from analysts, with upgrades and target price increases, leading to an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $822.41.
• Insider sales were noted, with Jennifer Newstead and COO Javier Olivan selling shares, contributing to a total of 256,921 shares sold by insiders last quarter.

Beacon Financial Group boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 7.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,725 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Group's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $4,964,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 34,551 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $20,230,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,456 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $5,537,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 221,459 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $129,666,000 after purchasing an additional 7,587 shares during the last quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 6,189 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $3,624,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,148,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $757.50, for a total value of $393,142.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 31,389 shares in the company, valued at $23,777,167.50. This trade represents a 1.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $755.65, for a total value of $390,671.05. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 11,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,748,160.05. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 256,921 shares of company stock valued at $195,620,990 in the last quarter. 13.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Citizens Jmp increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $800.00 target price (up previously from $725.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, July 28th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $845.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised Meta Platforms from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $822.41.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 1.9%

META opened at $779.00 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $479.80 and a 12 month high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The stock has a market cap of $1.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $743.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $663.34.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The social networking company reported $7.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $1.39. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 39.99%.The firm had revenue of $47.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $44.55 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.16 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Meta Platforms has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Monday, September 22nd will be given a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 22nd. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.60%.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.

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