Gabelli Funds LLC Acquires 1,438 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds LLC increased its Meta Platforms stake by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 1,438 shares and bringing its total holdings to 171,409 shares valued at about $113.1 million.
• Meta reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $10.44 beating estimates and revenue of $56.31 billion, up 33.1% from a year earlier. Analysts currently see the stock as a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $840.19.
• Despite bullish sentiment around AI spending and growth, Meta continues to face legal and regulatory pressure, including a dismissed Supreme Court challenge over a Vermont lawsuit and a new suit tied to scam-related AI ads.

Gabelli Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 171,409 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,438 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 0.8% of Gabelli Funds LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $113,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Requisite Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 174.1% during the fourth quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 2,165 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,429,000 after buying an additional 1,375 shares in the last quarter. Passumpsic Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth about $2,851,000. North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth about $49,437,000. Rossmore Private Capital grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 63.0% during the fourth quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 8,585 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,667,000 after buying an additional 3,317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL now owns 4,262 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,813,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.3%

META opened at $612.34 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $617.09 and its 200-day moving average is $636.70. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $796.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $1.55 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.26, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The business had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.56 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.43 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,195 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.84, for a total transaction of $5,589,088.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $8,014,978.24. This trade represents a 41.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,847 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.83, for a total transaction of $4,769,642.01. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 414 shares in the company, valued at approximately $251,641.62. This represents a 94.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 95,471 shares of company stock worth $60,616,955 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are viewing Meta’s massive AI spending more favorably as analysts and market commentators argue the AI boom could last longer than expected, potentially strengthening the company’s competitive position. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent pieces continue to frame Meta as a top long-term growth stock and a stock drawing increased investor attention, which can help reinforce bullish sentiment around the name. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is making a major workforce reduction in Washington state as part of a broader AI-driven restructuring, which may improve efficiency over time but also signals a significant internal reset. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is also getting additional investor and public scrutiny around AI, jobs, and capital allocation, with commentary suggesting the market is still debating whether Meta’s heavy AI investment will pay off. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: JLens is urging shareholders to back a proposal demanding more transparency on content moderation, highlighting ongoing governance and brand-safety concerns ahead of the annual meeting. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Meta’s challenge to Vermont’s social media addiction lawsuit, keeping legal exposure alive in a case centered on alleged harms to young users. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Meta also faces a new lawsuit from Santa Clara County over allegedly scam-related AI ads, adding another regulatory and reputational overhang tied to ad practices and user safety. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $685.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Argus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Arete Research restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Four investment 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $840.19.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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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