Fiduciary Financial Advisors Invests $1.13 Million in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Fiduciary Financial Advisors initiated a Meta Platforms position worth approximately $1.13 million by purchasing 2,011 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $788.88. JPMorgan upgraded Meta to “overweight” and raised its target to $820.
• Meta’s latest quarterly revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, though earnings per share missed estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while rising AI-related spending and legal concerns remain key risks.

Fiduciary Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,011 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $1,126,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $34,734,628,000 after buying an additional 878,396 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $22,152,075,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,013,948,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046,715 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $640.00 to $820.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Benchmark reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note 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 issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $788.88.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META opened at $665.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The company's fifty day moving average price is $606.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $609.79. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $790.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.25.

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 (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 firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse personal AI agent reached No. 1 on Apple’s U.S. free-app chart, surpassing ChatGPT roughly one week after launch. Its ability to handle shopping, bookings, email and phone calls could give Meta a significant consumer-AI growth platform and strengthen the case for future subscriptions or commerce revenue. Meta's Muse tops Apple's US free app chart
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Meta’s internally developed MTIA AI chips could save approximately $8.5 billion in 2027 by reducing reliance on third-party processors. Custom silicon could improve the economics of Meta’s expanding AI infrastructure over time. Meta Can Save $8.5 Billion in 2027 by Using Its Own MTIA Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upcoming product announcements remain potential catalysts. Rosenblatt reiterated a Buy rating, while investors are looking ahead to Meta Connect on September 23 for additional AI, glasses and subscription details. Meta Earns Buy Rating from Rosenblatt Securities
• Neutral Sentiment: Muse’s early popularity is encouraging, but analysts disagree on its financial impact. The generous free tier may accelerate adoption while delaying revenue and increasing computing costs; consumer distrust of Meta and the need to provide sensitive account data could also limit paid conversion. Meta’s Muse Agent Has Wall Street Divided on Its AI Potential
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are taking profits after META rose roughly 23%–24% over the past month. Valuation and expectations have risen quickly, increasing sensitivity to any evidence that AI spending will not generate near-term earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment program is placing significant pressure on cash flow. Articles highlighted a more than 90% decline in free cash flow as capital expenditures rise, raising concerns about the payback period for data centers, chips and other infrastructure. Meta Versus Oracle: AI Capex Payback Velocity
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and reputational pressure is increasing. A German court held Meta liable for fraudulent third-party ads, while regulators and its Oversight Board criticized safeguards against deepfakes and nonconsensual filming involving its smart glasses. These issues could increase compliance costs and threaten user trust. German Court Rules Meta Liable for Fake Ads
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Product Officer Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares worth approximately $13.5 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The planned nature reduces the signal, but the sale may still weigh modestly on sentiment. SEC Insider Trading Filing

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $675.23, for a total transaction of $13,504,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 224,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $151,599,938.68. This trade represents a 8.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value 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. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 81,758 shares of company stock valued at $51,214,020. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Meta Platforms Company 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.

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.