EMC Capital Management Takes $1.41 Million Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• EMC Capital Management initiated a $1.41 million Meta position by purchasing 2,500 shares in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own approximately 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $796.95; recent targets include $800 from Bernstein and $860 from Cantor Fitzgerald.
• Meta’s latest quarter showed 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, although earnings per share of $6.18 missed estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while insider selling and the stock’s elevated valuation present potential risks.

EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,500 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $1,408,000. Meta Platforms comprises about 0.6% of EMC Capital Management's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $69,502,379,000 after acquiring an additional 105,154,977 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at about $22,152,075,000. Corient Private Wealth LP lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 723.1% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $4,957,946,000 after purchasing an additional 7,732,446 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $2,948,486,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 488.1% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,466,595 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $3,608,445,000 after purchasing an additional 4,537,076 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Mizuho set a $750.00 target price on Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wedbush upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $680.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $796.95.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 1.0%

NASDAQ:META opened at $744.10 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.90 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.25. The firm's 50 day moving average is $610.79 and its 200 day moving average is $611.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $763.90.

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). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption is strengthening the AI growth narrative. Muse reportedly reached the top of Apple’s U.S. free-app rankings, with early downloads approaching 900,000. Investors are increasingly viewing the product as a potential consumer “killer app” and a new distribution channel for Meta’s AI capabilities. Meta's standoff with Amazon over Muse could be a sign of things to come
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their expectations. KeyCorp lifted its price target to $900 from $780, while Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $860 from $680; both maintained overweight ratings. The upgrades reflect expectations that AI agents could become a significant third growth curve for Meta. KeyBanc Adjusts PT on Meta Platforms to $900
• Positive Sentiment: Commerce and hardware opportunities are expanding. Muse’s integration with Shopify’s Shop Pay could let users complete purchases through the agent, giving Meta a path to transaction-based monetization. Meta is also bringing Muse to smart glasses and advancing a broader hardware push ahead of Meta Connect. Meta is bringing its Muse AI agent to its glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta Connect is a near-term catalyst. Investors are awaiting announcements on Muse, AI models, smart glasses and other devices that could clarify the company’s product roadmap and monetization strategy.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and regulatory risks remain. Amazon blocked Muse from accessing its site, while privacy and security concerns surrounding AI agents and camera-equipped glasses could limit adoption or invite additional scrutiny. Meta's New AI Agent Is an Instant Hit—and the Backlash Has Already Begun
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and valuation create caution. COO Javier Olivan and Chief Product Officer Christopher Cox sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. Technical analysts also warn that the recent rally increases the risk of a short-term pullback, even as the longer-term trend remains bullish.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% 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 have sold 123,333 shares of company stock worth $80,795,845 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Profile

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.

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