DSM Capital Partners LLC Buys 47,544 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• DSM Capital Partners increased its Meta stake by 9.5%, purchasing 47,544 shares to hold 548,698 shares valued at approximately $309.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of Meta.
• Meta’s chief technology officer and CFO sold shares worth a combined $9.4 million under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans; insiders sold 32,987 shares valued at about $19.2 million during the quarter.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $785.22, despite Meta missing quarterly EPS estimates. Revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion.

DSM Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 548,698 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 47,544 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 5.3% of DSM Capital Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. DSM Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $309,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. RHL Group LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,024. This trade represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,987 shares of company stock valued at $19,202,995. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 3.0%

NASDAQ:META opened at $610.68 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $594.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $609.21.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $785.00 target price (down from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $725.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $785.22.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta unveiled Muse Spark 1.3, an upgraded AI model that AI chief Alexandr Wang says delivers the company’s biggest performance improvement yet and is comparable with offerings from Anthropic and OpenAI. The announcement strengthened expectations that Meta can compete more effectively in generative AI and monetize its large user base. Meta Rises 4% as Muse Spark 1.3 Claims Parity With Anthropic and OpenAI
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts said Meta’s settlement of major social-media litigation could remove a legal overhang and accelerate the launch of new AI products. Some investors view the settlement as manageable relative to Meta’s scale and believe teen-usage restrictions may have limited revenue impact. Meta settlement could clear the way for new AI product launches, Morgan Stanley says
• Positive Sentiment: Investment commentary highlighted Meta as one of the leading “hyperscalers” supporting the AI ecosystem, with strong revenue growth, user engagement and long-term AI monetization potential. Hyperscalers are the backbone of AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirmed its Neutral rating, signaling that the AI opportunity is balanced by valuation, execution and spending concerns. Wedbush Reaffirms Neutral Rating for Meta Platforms
• Negative Sentiment: Meta reportedly agreed to pay as much as $17 billion over 10 years and make major changes to Instagram and Facebook for teen users. The settlement may reduce legal uncertainty, but its cost and potential limits on engagement create financial and operating risks. Meta Is Making These Major Changes for Teen Users After $17 Billion Settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary warned that AI infrastructure spending could approach $145 billion, compressing free cash flow even as revenue grows. Investors also remain concerned about Meta’s dependence on successful AI execution to justify a recovery toward its prior high. Meta Stock Has a New AI Catalyst
• Negative Sentiment: Meta is paying users to share how they use its latest AI model, raising privacy and reputational concerns that could complicate adoption. Separately, the company disabled cameras on some AI glasses after detecting tampering with recording lights. Meta is paying to peek at how you use their latest AI model

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.

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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