Childress Capital Advisors LLC Sells 2,282 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Childress Capital Advisors cut its Meta stake by 20.1%, selling 2,282 shares in the third quarter. It retained 9,060 shares, valued at $6.57 million and representing 1% of its portfolio.
• Meta reported quarterly earnings of $7.40 per share and revenue of $64.6 billion, beating analyst estimates; revenue rose 26.1% year over year. Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $833.12.
• Meta’s $15 billion bond sale drew strong investor demand and provides funding for investment plans, but the company’s rising AI and data-center spending has raised concerns about borrowing costs and future cash flow.

Childress Capital Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 20.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,060 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 2,282 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for 1.0% of Childress Capital Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Childress Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $6,570,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in META. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,577,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares in the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% in the second quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,707,000 after buying an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. William John Sempolinski purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 38.2% in the second quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $9,046,000 after buying an additional 4,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 63.7% during the second quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $65,333,000 after buying an additional 45,130 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s bond sale attracted orders reportedly reaching $58 billion, a sign of robust investor appetite for the company’s debt. That demand may have helped support the stock despite concerns about Big Tech’s AI spending. Article: Meta stock rises as $20B bond sale attracts strong investor demand
• Positive Sentiment: Meta completed a $15 billion, five-part U.S. bond sale. The successful issuance gives the company capital to support its investment plans, while recent earnings-call coverage highlighted ad growth and adoption of its Muse AI tools. Article: Meta raises $15 billion in five-part US bond sale Article: META Q3 Earnings Call Put Spotlight on Muse Growth and AI Spending
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta and Snap settled claims related to alleged harm to young users from social media; financial terms were not disclosed. The settlements avert the scheduled trial, but do not resolve broader scrutiny of platform design. Article: Snap Settled a Social Media Addiction Suit
• Negative Sentiment: The bond financing underscores the cost of Meta’s AI ambitions. Reports indicate borrowing costs rose, while the company is ramping up spending on data centers and AI models—raising questions about returns and pressure on future cash flow. Article: Apple Shares Slip, Meta Debt Costs Rise Article: Meta seeks to raise up to $25 billion in debt sale as AI spending jumps
• Negative Sentiment: Meta postponed new business terms after backlash over potential web scraping, and reports of its AI crawler overwhelming a small business website add to reputational and policy risks. Article: Meta delays new business terms after outcry over potential web scraping of news sites

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on META shares. DZ Bank restated a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Yorkville Ives started coverage on Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $900.00 target price for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,024. This trade represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 149,515 shares of company stock worth $102,183,520 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $621.03 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $672.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $632.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $1.59 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The firm's revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.25 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.16%.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company's principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.

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