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Diversify Advisory Services LLC Purchases 58,875 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

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Key Points

  • Diversify Advisory Services more than doubled its Meta position in the second quarter, purchasing 58,875 additional shares for a total of 107,048 shares valued at approximately $63.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
  • Meta shares opened at $648.03, with the company reporting 28% year-over-year revenue growth but quarterly earnings of $6.18 per share, below the $7.19 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $787.54.
  • Meta declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while recent news highlights potential growth from its Muse AI agent and AI infrastructure investments alongside privacy, regulatory and execution risks.
  • Five stocks to consider instead of Meta Platforms.

Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 122.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 107,048 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 58,875 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.1% of Diversify Advisory Services LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Diversify Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $63,573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of META. Abbot Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 53.5% during the second quarter. Abbot Financial Management Inc. now owns 2,845 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,603,000 after buying an additional 991 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 18,000 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,299,000 after acquiring an additional 2,670 shares in the last quarter. WMS Group LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at about $876,000. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 625,079 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $352,101,000 after purchasing an additional 29,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 118,460 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $78,195,000 after purchasing an additional 2,871 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total transaction of $13,005,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 244,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $159,003,864.48. This trade represents a 7.56% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 61,581 shares of company stock valued at $37,512,295. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

More Meta Platforms News

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

  • Positive Sentiment: Muse gains early consumer traction: Meta’s new AI agent reportedly reached No. 2 or No. 3 on the U.S. App Store shortly after its launch. Muse can interact with social platforms and outside services, while paid tiers priced at $20 and $100 per month create a potential new revenue stream beyond advertising. Meta's AI agent Muse is now the No. 2 app in the US
  • Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded the stock: JPMorgan raised Meta to Overweight from Neutral and increased its price target to $820, citing meaningful growth potential from frontier AI models and agentic products. The upgrade helped reinforce the bullish view that Meta can diversify beyond advertising. JPMorgan upgrades Meta on AI models and agents
  • Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure optionality: Analysts believe Meta’s large AI-compute investments could eventually support a cloud-computing or infrastructure business, adding an opportunity not currently reflected in the valuation. The company’s strong revenue growth and substantial cash resources support this investment thesis.
  • Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Meta announced a $0.525-per-share dividend payable September 28 to shareholders of record September 21. While the yield is modest, the payout signals confidence in ongoing cash generation.
  • Neutral Sentiment: Legal settlement viewed as manageable: Commentary suggests Meta’s potential $18 billion social-media-addiction settlement, spread over a decade, may have a limited impact on annual free cash flow. Resolving the litigation could also remove an overhang, but the headline liability remains material.
  • Negative Sentiment: Monetization and privacy concerns: Muse’s usefulness depends on access to users’ inboxes, accounts and payments, raising adoption and privacy questions. Analysts remain uncertain about conversion rates and near-term revenue.
  • Negative Sentiment: AI execution and regulatory risks: A prominent AI researcher is leaving Meta for Anthropic, while an internal effort to capture employee screens for AI training reportedly triggered resistance. Meta is also discussing possible teen social-media restrictions in South Korea, and TikTok rejected Meta advertisements urging participation in a child-safety settlement.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $648.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $790.80. The business's fifty day moving average price is $601.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $608.94.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

META has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $785.00 price objective (down from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho set a $750.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $700.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $787.54.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on META

Meta Platforms Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report).

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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