Diversify Advisory Services LLC Sells 2,734 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Diversify Advisory Services LLC cut its Meta stake by 2.6%, selling 2,734 shares and retaining 104,314 shares valued at approximately $76.9 million. Institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Meta reported strong third-quarter results, with revenue rising 26.1% year over year to $64.6 billion and EPS of $7.40, beating estimates of $6.54. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $833.12.
• Heavy AI investment remains a key concern: Meta’s 2026 capital expenditures could reach $145 billion, contributing to negative free cash flow, while legal and regulatory liabilities add further uncertainty.

Diversify Advisory Services LLC reduced its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 104,314 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 2,734 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up 1.1% of Diversify Advisory Services LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Diversify Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $76,850,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total value of $669,011.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 5,986 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,233,299.20. This trade represents a 13.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.0%

META opened at $642.62 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $664.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $629.72. The company has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 1.90.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on META. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $795.00 to $750.00 in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Arete Research lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

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.

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).

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.