Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC Has $20.97 Million Stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its stake in Meta to 31,833 shares (worth $20.97 million), a 5.3% increase during the fourth quarter.
• Strong quarterly results: Meta beat expectations with $10.44 EPS versus $6.67 estimated and revenue up 33.1% to $56.31 billion, driven by AI‑powered ad momentum, and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target of about $840.67.
• Insider selling and regulatory risk: CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares ($36.5M) and insiders sold 166,638 shares (~$106.7M) last quarter, while the company faces legal and governance scrutiny including a New Mexico youth‑safety trial and board investigations.

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,833 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,612 shares during the quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $20,970,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Westchester Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Fairway Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 78 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, PMV Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. PMV Capital Advisers LLC now owns 96 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total transaction of $36,471,323.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total value of $5,106,100.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 2,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,793,352.84. This trade represents a 74.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 166,638 shares of company stock worth $106,697,681. Insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $800.00 target price (down from $880.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $930.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $908.00 to $865.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $840.67.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $610.45 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $629.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $647.50. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $796.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.54 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.43 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 30.82 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.63%.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong AI-driven ad momentum: Meta’s recent quarter showed ~33% revenue growth driven by AI-powered ad pricing, reinforcing revenue durability and upside to ad monetization trends. Meta Platforms vs Snap: Who’s Really Winning Digital Ads?
• Positive Sentiment: Big data‑center expansion: Bloomberg/Reuters report Meta is lining up roughly $13 billion in financing (led by Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan) for a new El Paso, TX, AI/data-center complex — a sign of ongoing investment in AI capacity that supports long‑term revenue opportunities but also signals heavy capex. Meta taps Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan for El Paso data center deal, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Product/AI R&D push: Meta acquired Assured Robot Intelligence (ARI) to accelerate humanoid‑robot AI efforts — an R&D move that underscores Meta’s broader AI roadmap and long‑term platform expansion. Meta Acquires ARI to Fuel Humanoid Robot Push
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions are mixed: Several firms reaffirm Buy but trimmed price targets (e.g., Truist lowered its PT to $840 from $900 while keeping a Buy). This keeps institutional support intact but signals tempered near‑term upside expectations. Truist Reduces PT on Meta Platforms (META) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk — New Mexico youth‑safety trial: State seeks court-ordered platform changes and large penalties in a case alleging harm to young users; outcomes could force costly product changes or damages. New Mexico seeks changes to Meta platforms in youth harm trial
• Negative Sentiment: Reputation and regulatory headlines: Reuters won a Pulitzer for reporting on investigations that allege Meta knowingly exposed users (including minors) to harmful AI chatbots and profited from fraudulent ads — amplifies regulatory scrutiny and reputational risk. Reuters wins beat reporting Pulitzer for Meta investigations
• Negative Sentiment: Governance/legal probe: A shareholder law firm is investigating Meta’s board for potential oversight failures around privacy and AI training practices — another headline that can pressure investor sentiment. Berger Montague PC Investigates Meta Platforms, Inc.'s Board of Directors for Breach of Fiduciary Duty

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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