Farringdon Capital Ltd. Acquires 1,424 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Farringdon Capital increased its Meta stake by 36% in the second quarter, adding 1,424 shares for a total of 5,377 shares valued at approximately $3.03 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding shares.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $788.88, despite several firms recently lowering their targets.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.8 billion, above estimates, but earnings per share of $6.18 missed the $7.19 consensus. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while insiders have sold 61,758 shares worth about $37.7 million over the past three months.

Farringdon Capital Ltd. lifted its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 36.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,377 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,424 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 1.5% of Farringdon Capital Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Farringdon Capital Ltd.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $3,029,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of META. RHL Group LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Bayban grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. Bayban now owns 70 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on META shares. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Wednesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $890.00 to $730.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock 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 assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $788.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $657.73, for a total transaction of $622,212.58. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,048,234.68. This represents a 8.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 61,758 shares of company stock valued at $37,709,420 in the last three months. 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: AI subscriptions create a potential new revenue stream. Meta launched Meta One subscription tiers offering expanded access to AI tools and premium features across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The company says the program has reached 15 million subscriptions and trials, supporting the case that Meta can generate recurring revenue beyond advertising. Reuters article on Meta One subscriptions
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish. Rosenblatt reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $886 price target, while JPMorgan highlighted improving AI monetization and better advertising performance. Citi also said next week’s developers conference could provide a catalyst if Meta unveils compelling AI and hardware updates. Citi commentary on Meta’s upcoming event
• Positive Sentiment: New hardware and infrastructure initiatives could broaden Meta’s AI ecosystem. Meta reportedly plans to launch camera-free smart glasses this fall, while expanded use of proprietary AI chips could reduce reliance on Nvidia and potentially lower computing costs. Reuters article on camera-free smart glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is defending a faster, company-led AI development strategy. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Meta delayed its Muse AI agent to address safety concerns but opposed broad development slowdowns, favoring independent evaluators and internal safeguards.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution risks remain. BMO identified expanding age-verification requirements as a potential challenge, while new restrictions on youth-oriented advertising practices could increase Meta’s legal and compliance costs. Investors are also watching the company’s large AI infrastructure commitments, which could pressure free cash flow if advertising growth or AI utilization disappoints.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling adds a limited cautionary signal. COO Javier Olivan sold shares worth roughly $1.0 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The transactions reduce his holdings but do not necessarily indicate a change in management’s outlook.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $673.31 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $605.39 and a 200 day moving average of $609.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $790.80. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.36, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

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.

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.