Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Ceredex Value Advisors increased its Meta position by 11.9% in the second quarter to 31,576 shares valued at approximately $17.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Meta shares were trading at $665.60, while analysts maintained a broadly positive outlook with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $788.88. Investor optimism is supported by advertising growth and Meta’s AI strategy, though heavy data-center spending remains a financial risk.
• Meta declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, representing a 0.3% yield, while recent insider sales and a proposed lawsuit concerning smart-glasses facial-recognition technology add governance and reputational concerns.

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 11.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,576 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,355 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $17,786,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after buying an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $34,734,628,000 after buying an additional 878,396 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $22,152,075,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,013,948,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046,715 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI strategy is boosting investor confidence. Goldman Sachs reiterated its bullish view, citing the rollout of Meta’s Muse AI agent and a recent legal settlement as potential catalysts. Analysts also argue that Meta’s valuation remains attractive relative to its growth, with one estimate assigning an $817 price target. Why is Meta stock gaining in premarket today
• Positive Sentiment: Advertising momentum supports earnings expectations. A bullish analysis highlighted second-quarter ad impressions growth of 14% and a 12% increase in average ad prices. Meta’s forward PEG ratio was also described as below both the sector median and its five-year average, suggesting investors may still view the stock as reasonably valued despite its recent rally. Meta Platforms: AI Spending Is Starting To Pay Off
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is benefiting from a shift in AI sentiment. Shares of Meta and Alphabet gained while AI-chip stocks weakened after several AI executives called for a slower approach to developing frontier models. Investors may be favoring Meta because its large user base and advertising business provide diversified ways to monetize AI. Why Google and Meta Stocks Are the Big Winners From the Latest AI Concerns
• Neutral Sentiment: AI investment is creating both opportunity and financial risk. AI-related debt issuance has surged, and Meta is viewed as better positioned than highly leveraged infrastructure providers because of its stronger cash generation. Nevertheless, the scale of data-center spending could pressure free cash flow and increase execution risk. AI-Related Debt Sales Are Near $500 Billion
• Negative Sentiment: Meta faces a proposed class-action lawsuit over smart-glasses privacy. Parents and children in California and Illinois allege that the company’s unreleased “NameTag” facial-recognition feature improperly used Facebook and Instagram data. The case could create legal costs, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage if the allegations gain traction. Meta Faces Lawsuit Over Smart Glasses Facial Recognition
• Negative Sentiment: Content-moderation and insider-selling headlines add caution. Meta’s Oversight Board urged it not to replace professional fact-checking with Community Notes, while a reported insider stock sale worth about $13 million may weigh modestly on sentiment. These developments raise governance and reputational concerns, although neither necessarily changes Meta’s underlying operating outlook. Oversight Board asks Meta not to replace fact-checking with Community Notes

Meta Platforms Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $665.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $602.89 and a 200 day moving average of $608.92. The company has a market cap of $1.70 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.25. 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 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $790.80.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Susan 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 transaction 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at $5,708,013.06. This represents a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 have sold 60,183 shares of company stock valued at $36,673,495 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on META. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $883.00 to $886.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $788.88.

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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