Fundsmith LLP Sells 269,499 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Fundsmith LLP lowered its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 20.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,051,876 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 269,499 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for about 4.3% of Fundsmith LLP's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Fundsmith LLP's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $592,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Advocacy Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Advocacy Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,396 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,913,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. F&V Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 5.0% in the second quarter. F&V Capital Management LLC now owns 30,222 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $17,024,000 after buying an additional 1,427 shares in the last quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 2.7% during the second quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 7,863 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $4,429,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 2.7% during the second quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 20,664 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $11,640,000 after buying an additional 544 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $1,619,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.6%

META opened at $736.59 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $609.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $610.57. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $770.60. The company has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 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 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). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.Meta Platforms's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse is gaining significant consumer traction. The agent reportedly surpassed ChatGPT’s early mobile download pace and can handle tasks such as shopping, travel bookings, email and financial-related services. Investors increasingly view Muse as a potential new revenue platform rather than simply another AI feature. Wall Street expects Meta's AI agent to shape into a new revenue engine
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial partnerships strengthen the monetization case. Shopify is integrating Shop Pay checkout with Muse, while PayPal is also expected to use the agent. These deals could help Meta capture value from AI-powered commerce and create a platform for outside developers and services. Shopify Brings Shop Pay Checkout Solution to Meta's Muse AI Agent
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their targets. Jefferies increased its Meta price target to $875 from $710 and maintained a Buy rating, while Bank of America reaffirmed Buy with an $810 target. Analysts cited Muse’s early adoption and potential to add a new earnings stream. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target on Meta Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: The core advertising business remains supportive. Meta’s latest reported revenue increased 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, with stronger ad pricing helping offset slower impression growth. Investors are also looking ahead to additional AI announcements at Meta Connect.
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta continues to expand its AI infrastructure. Its planned Petal subsea cable and reported custom CPU work with Arm could improve long-term computing capacity and efficiency, but these projects require substantial capital and will not produce immediate revenue.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and spending concerns remain. Meta’s recent EPS missed consensus despite revenue growth, while rising capital expenditures, debt and weaker cash-flow expectations could limit near-term upside after the stock’s large advance.
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon’s refusal to allow Muse shopping highlights platform friction. Meta is also testing human contractors to complete some Muse calls, raising questions about reliability, privacy, scalability and the cost of delivering the service. Meta testing a human concierge for Muse

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 81,758 shares of company stock worth $51,214,020. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on META shares. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Benchmark restated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $725.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $789.63.

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.

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