Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd Cuts Stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd cut its stake in Meta Platforms by 30.9% in Q4, selling 4,038 shares to hold 9,019 shares valued at $5,953,000, which represents 1.4% of its portfolio (its 29th largest holding).
• Meta beat Q4 expectations with $8.88 EPS versus $8.16 consensus and revenue of $59.89 billion (up 23.8% year‑over‑year), and the company carries a market cap of about $1.61 trillion with a consensus analyst target of $837.72.
• Insiders sold 160,414 shares worth roughly $102.66 million in the last three months, and near‑term volatility may be driven by the April 29 Q1 report, AI product developments, regulatory pressures, and recent price‑target trims.

Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd lowered its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 30.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,019 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 4,038 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up 1.4% of Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $5,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Trust Co of the South grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,850 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,359,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $672,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 4,301 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $3,159,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 454 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vista Capital Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $794,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $634.53 on Tuesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $479.80 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 2.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $627.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $652.48.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.02 EPS. Meta Platforms's quarterly revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.94%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Industry forecasts say Meta could overtake Google as the world’s largest digital-ad company in 2026, boosting revenue growth expectations and advertiser leverage. Meta poised to surpass Google in digital ad revenue for first time, report says
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new AI model (Muse Spark) launch is being cited as a key catalyst — investors see product differentiation, ad targeting improvements and longer-term monetization upside from AI investments. Meta Platforms Finally Releases Muse Spark. Is the AI Model Worth the Wait?
• Positive Sentiment: Unity extended a multi-year platform support and enterprise agreement with Meta, reinforcing VR/AR partnerships that support long-term Metaverse/Reality Labs opportunities. Unity and Meta Extend Multi-Year Platform Support and Enterprise Agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta will report Q1 2026 results after the market close on April 29; upcoming guidance and ad/AI metrics will likely drive near-term volatility. Meta to Announce First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail/investor attention is elevated (search and coverage spikes), which can amplify moves around earnings and sector news. Investors Heavily Search Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts trimmed price targets (Stifel, Wolfe, KeyCorp), which can cap upside and signal more cautious near-term expectations despite buy ratings. Stifel Nicolaus lowers META price target
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory pressure: the Philippines and U.S. state attorneys general have pushed Meta to curb panic-inducing or scam content, creating potential compliance costs and reputational risk. Philippines Orders Meta to Tighten Measures Against ‘Panic-Inducing’ Fake News NY AG warns of social media investment scams on Meta platforms
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Meta is developing a photoreal AI “clone” of CEO Mark Zuckerberg for staff interactions raise privacy and governance concerns that could attract scrutiny. Meta is building a creepy AI clone of Mark Zuckerberg to chat with staff: report

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the subject of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $855.00 to $760.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. DA Davidson raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $890.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $872.00 price target (up from $830.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $837.72.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $632.02, for a total transaction of $366,571.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,797,952.54. This trade represents a 11.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $605.38, for a total value of $560,581.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 13,335 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,072,742.30. This represents a 6.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 160,414 shares of company stock valued at $102,659,925. Insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Profile

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.

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