Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Sells 3,705 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Braun Stacey Associates reduced its Meta position by 3.5%, selling 3,705 shares and retaining 102,559 shares valued at approximately $57.8 million. Institutional investors still own 79.91% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with Meta receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $788.88; JPMorgan recently upgraded the stock to “overweight” with an $820 target.
• Meta’s latest quarter showed 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, although adjusted earnings of $6.18 per share missed estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, equivalent to a 0.3% yield.

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 3.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,559 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 3,705 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 1.6% of Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $57,770,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chapin Davis Inc. raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 1,790 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. BNP Paribas boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 93,517 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $52,707,000 after purchasing an additional 14,307 shares during the period. Field & Main Bank acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $4,146,000. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $13,965,000. Finally, Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at about $3,924,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Friday, September 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $640.00 to $820.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine 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 $788.88.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $665.75 on Monday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $790.80. The firm has a market cap of $1.70 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.25. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $606.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $609.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $657.73, for a total transaction of $622,212.58. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 10,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,048,234.68. This represents a 8.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Curtis Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $869,922.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,957 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,006. This trade represents a 44.34% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders sold a total of 81,758 shares of company stock valued at $51,214,020 in the last quarter. 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: Meta’s Muse personal AI agent reached No. 1 on Apple’s U.S. free-app chart, surpassing ChatGPT roughly one week after launch. Its ability to handle shopping, bookings, email and phone calls could give Meta a significant consumer-AI growth platform and strengthen the case for future subscriptions or commerce revenue. Meta's Muse tops Apple's US free app chart
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Meta’s internally developed MTIA AI chips could save approximately $8.5 billion in 2027 by reducing reliance on third-party processors. Custom silicon could improve the economics of Meta’s expanding AI infrastructure over time. Meta Can Save $8.5 Billion in 2027 by Using Its Own MTIA Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upcoming product announcements remain potential catalysts. Rosenblatt reiterated a Buy rating, while investors are looking ahead to Meta Connect on September 23 for additional AI, glasses and subscription details. Meta Earns Buy Rating from Rosenblatt Securities
• Neutral Sentiment: Muse’s early popularity is encouraging, but analysts disagree on its financial impact. The generous free tier may accelerate adoption while delaying revenue and increasing computing costs; consumer distrust of Meta and the need to provide sensitive account data could also limit paid conversion. Meta’s Muse Agent Has Wall Street Divided on Its AI Potential
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are taking profits after META rose roughly 23%–24% over the past month. Valuation and expectations have risen quickly, increasing sensitivity to any evidence that AI spending will not generate near-term earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment program is placing significant pressure on cash flow. Articles highlighted a more than 90% decline in free cash flow as capital expenditures rise, raising concerns about the payback period for data centers, chips and other infrastructure. Meta Versus Oracle: AI Capex Payback Velocity
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and reputational pressure is increasing. A German court held Meta liable for fraudulent third-party ads, while regulators and its Oversight Board criticized safeguards against deepfakes and nonconsensual filming involving its smart glasses. These issues could increase compliance costs and threaten user trust. German Court Rules Meta Liable for Fake Ads
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Product Officer Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares worth approximately $13.5 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The planned nature reduces the signal, but the sale may still weigh modestly on sentiment. SEC Insider Trading Filing

About Meta Platforms

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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