First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services Has $9.35 Million Stock Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services increased its Meta position by 36.2% in the first quarter, holding 16,347 shares worth approximately $9.35 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Meta reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, though quarterly EPS of $6.18 missed the $7.19 consensus estimate. Investors remain focused on whether heavy AI-related capital spending will generate sufficient returns and pressure free cash flow.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $789.95 price target, despite several firms recently lowering their targets. Meta shares opened at $590.24, while insiders have sold $23.0 million of stock over the past 90 days.

First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 36.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,347 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,345 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 2.0% of First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services' holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services' holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $9,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Bayban raised its position 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 last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI spending narrative improves: Strong earnings from Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and other cloud companies suggest enterprise AI demand remains robust, supporting the case for continued infrastructure investment and potentially greater monetization of Meta’s AI tools and recommendation systems. Amazon Just Flipped the AI Capex Narrative
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation attracts buyers: Multiple analyses describe Meta as inexpensive relative to its growth, citing a forward P/E near 17 and expectations for approximately 40% upside. Evercore’s Mark Mahaney reportedly named Meta a top large-cap idea with an $820 price target, while other analysts also maintain bullish views. Meta Named a Top Large-Cap Long Idea
• Positive Sentiment: Core advertising business remains strong: Recent coverage highlights rising revenue, ad impressions, ad prices and user engagement. Investors are encouraged that Meta’s AI investments may already be improving targeting, recommendations and advertising performance. Mark Zuckerberg Says He's Betting Big on AI Compute
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings showed substantial growth: Meta’s latest quarter produced $60.8 billion in revenue, up 28% year over year and above estimates. That growth, combined with a comparatively low valuation, is driving “buy-the-dip” recommendations. Is Meta Stock a Buy on the Dip?
• Neutral Sentiment: International exposure is a key variable: Investors are assessing Meta’s dependence on overseas revenue, including the stability of international advertising demand and currency-related risks. Meta International Revenues Trends
• Negative Sentiment: AI investment remains the main risk: Meta’s earnings miss and concerns about sharply higher capital expenditures, weaker free cash flow and the timing of returns caused the recent post-earnings pressure. Some analysts have also reduced price targets, including Bank of America to $810 and Monness Crespi & Hardt to $730. What's Going on With Meta Stock?

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.85, for a total transaction of $508,770.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 6,290 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,823,376.50. This represents a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing 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, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.75, for a total transaction of $303,875.00. Following the sale, the director owned 3,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,092,483.25. The trade was a 12.68% 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 have sold a total of 37,770 shares of company stock worth $23,034,051 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $789.95.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 6.0%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $590.24 on Tuesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $796.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $600.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $622.55. The company has a market capitalization of $1.49 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS 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 business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.14 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.99 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

About Meta Platforms

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.

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