Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Buys 64,136 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Envestnet Asset Management increased its Meta position by 2%, buying 64,136 shares to own 3.24 million shares valued at approximately $1.82 billion. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with 44 Buy ratings and an average price target of $787.86, compared with shares opening at $725.93. Meta’s stock has risen sharply but remains below its 12-month high of $779.82.
• Meta’s latest quarter delivered 28% revenue growth to $60.8 billion but missed earnings expectations, while insiders sold $103 million of stock over the past three months. Investors are also weighing the potential of Meta’s AI products against heavy AI investment, competition and privacy concerns.

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,236,516 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 64,136 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned 0.13% of Meta Platforms worth $1,823,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,577,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares in the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% in the 2nd quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. William John Sempolinski bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 38.2% during the second quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $9,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 63.7% during the second quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $65,333,000 after purchasing an additional 45,130 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s free Muse personal AI agent has reportedly surpassed 5 million downloads, reinforcing the company’s lead in consumer AI. JPMorgan says Meta’s free-access strategy could pressure subscription-based rivals and potentially create a valuable new advertising and commerce channel. Zuckerberg's Free AI Agent Hit 5 Million Downloads
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators remain optimistic that Meta can convert AI adoption into revenue. The company is expanding its Muse platform for small businesses, linking AI tools with advertising, sales and operations, which could improve ad targeting and accelerate advertiser spending. META Expands Muse for Small Businesses
• Positive Sentiment: A recent analyst upgrade helped support the stock, while strategists describe Meta as a potential beneficiary of the next phase of the AI trade because it is using AI to strengthen an existing advertising business rather than relying solely on infrastructure spending. Meta Stock Jumps Following Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Meta reportedly signed a $27 billion AI-capacity agreement with Nebius, highlighting continued demand for computing resources and the company’s commitment to scaling its AI capabilities. Nebius Group Signs AI Capacity Deal with Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s strong September performance reflected enthusiasm over Muse, which reportedly outpaced ChatGPT in Apple’s App Store downloads. However, investors are now focused on how quickly the company can monetize the service and whether the recent rally has already priced in much of the good news. Meta Stock Enjoys Best Month on AI Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI’s launch of Dots introduces a significant competitor in personal AI agents. Google, Apple and other startups are also entering the market, raising questions about customer retention, pricing and the cost of defending Muse’s early lead. OpenAI Follows Meta into Personal AI Agents
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about Meta’s more than $130 billion AI investment program, declining free cash flow and the possibility that data-center capacity will eventually exceed demand. A report also questioned the company’s use of tax credits for AI data-center costs, creating potential tax and reputational exposure. How Meta Uses AI Data Centers to Avoid Federal Taxes
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of insider selling, including transactions by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Javier Olivan under a pre-arranged trading plan, may weigh modestly on sentiment, although the sales do not necessarily indicate deteriorating fundamentals. Meta Platforms Insider Sold Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Meta has also disputed claims that Muse accessed private messages without permission. Even if the allegation is unfounded, renewed privacy concerns could increase regulatory scrutiny and slow adoption of the product. Meta Disputes Muse Privacy Claim

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $750.42, for a total transaction of $709,897.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 8,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,621,706.08. This trade represents a 9.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 151,882 shares of company stock valued at $103,032,319 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on META shares. Moffett Nathanson dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Roth Capital reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. HSBC decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $886.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Evercore upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $787.86.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $725.93 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $622.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $615.28. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.85 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

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