Dara Capital US Inc. Invests $6.95 Million in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Dara Capital US Inc. bought 10,529 shares of Meta (about $6.95 million) in Q4, making META 6.2% of its portfolio and its second‑largest holding.
• Analysts hold a consensus Moderate Buy on META with an average target of $836.30, supported by a mix of ratings (4 Strong Buy, 38 Buy, 8 Hold).
• Major near‑term catalysts and risks include a partnership with Broadcom to build custom AI chips (lowering Nvidia dependence) alongside planned ~10% layoffs and notable insider stock sales.

Dara Capital US Inc. acquired a new position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,529 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $6,950,000. Meta Platforms comprises 6.2% of Dara Capital US Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of META. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $64,158,971,000 after buying an additional 1,650,435 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth $1,191,175,000. Concentrum Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 948.7% during the 3rd quarter. Concentrum Wealth Management now owns 1,243,577 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $913,000 after acquiring an additional 1,124,998 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in Meta Platforms by 209.3% in the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 430,434 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $314,340,000 after acquiring an additional 824,276 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth $540,634,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

META has been the topic of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank downgraded Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $900.00 price objective on Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, January 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $920.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $836.30.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded its AI infrastructure strategy by partnering with Broadcom to develop custom AI chips, a move investors view as reducing dependence on NVIDIA and potentially lowering long‑term AI costs. The Meta‑Broadcom AI Chip Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Performance divergence vs. Alphabet highlights Meta’s stronger recent investor returns and market leadership in ad recovery and AI monetization, supporting a bullish narrative on share appreciation. Meta vs. Alphabet: One Just Handed Investors a 40% Return
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to call Meta a momentum buy after strong app metrics and downloads; Barclays reaffirmed a Buy and other outlets highlight long‑term momentum, which helps underpin demand for the shares. Meta Gets Analyst Approval After Record App Downloads
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America trimmed its price target to $820 from $885 but kept a Buy rating — a modest downgrade to upside while signaling confidence in Meta’s ad and AI positioning. BofA Trims Meta Price Target to $820
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple pre‑earnings writeups and fund‑level analyses (Rowan Street Capital, InsiderMonkey pieces) are increasing investor attention ahead of results — this raises volatility but not a clear directional signal. Rowan Street Capital’s Analysis on Meta
• Negative Sentiment: Meta is preparing a large round of layoffs beginning May 20 (reported as ~10% of headcount), which signals cost pressure from rising AI infrastructure spending and raises near‑term execution risks and employee disruption. Meta Prepares for "May 20" Layoffs
• Negative Sentiment: An SEC filing shows a Meta director sold about $386,860 in stock; insider sales can create short‑term selling pressure or signal portfolio rebalancing concerns. Director Sells $386,860 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Competition is intensifying as Apple tests AI‑powered smart glasses — a credible rival in the AR hardware race that could pressure future device monetization. How Apple Plans to Compete with Meta In Smart Glasses

Meta Platforms Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $670.91 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.31. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $627.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $650.39. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $479.80 and a 12-month high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.02 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 8.94%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total value of $386,860.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,565,949. The trade was a 13.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,778 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.45, for a total transaction of $1,748,612.10. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 10,557 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,645,103.65. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 164,562 shares of company stock valued at $105,310,238 in the last quarter. Corporate 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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