Burnham & Co LLC Invests $542,000 in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Burnham & Co. purchased a new Meta stake of 963 shares valued at approximately $542,000 during the second quarter. Other institutions also increased their positions, with institutional investors owning 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, though quarterly EPS of $6.18 missed estimates of $7.19. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $788.88, while investors weigh Meta’s AI monetization opportunities against infrastructure spending, regulatory challenges and insider selling.

Burnham & Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 963 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $542,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gambit Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Gambit Capital Management LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $626,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 1,267 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $714,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 9,981 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,623,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Meta Platforms by 4.3% during the second quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,641 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,614,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alaska Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Alaska Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 504 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: New Meta One subscriptions could create recurring AI revenue. Meta introduced plans ranging from individual to creator and business tiers, priced from $2.99 to $499 per month, offering expanded access to AI image, video and editing tools across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta AI. The initiative gives investors a clearer path to monetizing AI beyond advertising. Reuters article on Meta One subscriptions
• Positive Sentiment: AI agents are being integrated into WhatsApp Business. Businesses will be able to use third-party AI agents to set up and manage customer messaging, potentially increasing WhatsApp’s commercial utility and supporting higher business adoption and revenue. TechCrunch article on WhatsApp Business AI agents
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly favorable. Recent coverage highlights bullish views tied to Meta’s Muse AI platform, improving advertising performance and the company’s valuation relative to growth. One report says 55 analysts covering Meta have no sell ratings, while Goldman Sachs has identified further upside potential. Analyst coverage article
• Positive Sentiment: Meta reportedly plans camera-free smart glasses. The internally named Luna glasses could broaden Meta’s wearables strategy while addressing privacy concerns associated with cameras, although launch details remain unconfirmed. Reuters article on Meta’s camera-free smart glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta said it will directly report child-safety cases to India’s cybercrime portal, a move that could improve regulatory cooperation but also underscores continuing scrutiny of its platforms. Article on Meta’s child-safety reporting in India
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal risks remain significant. California’s restrictions on certain youth-targeted advertising practices and a lawsuit involving alleged facial-recognition features in Meta’s smart glasses could increase legal costs and limit product functionality. Article on Meta’s regulatory risks
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to debate whether Meta’s aggressive AI infrastructure commitments will generate sufficient returns, particularly if interest rates remain elevated. A recent SEC filing also disclosed an insider sale worth approximately $13 million, which may weigh modestly on sentiment. Analysis of Meta’s AI spending

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:META opened at $670.24 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.71 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.24, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $603.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $609.04. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on META. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $785.00 target price (down from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $640.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $788.88.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a 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, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,092,006. The trade was a 44.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 60,183 shares of company stock worth $36,673,495. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms 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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