Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC Purchases 16,417 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC raised its stake in Meta by 769.7%, buying 16,417 shares to hold 18,550 shares worth about $12.25 million per its latest 13F filing.
• Meta posted strong quarterly results—$8.88 EPS (beat by $0.72) and $59.89B revenue, up 23.8% YoY—and analysts have been lifting price targets (average target ~$837), reflecting bullish sentiment.
• Meanwhile insiders sold 166,117 shares (~$106M) last quarter under Rule 10b5‑1 plans, and the company faces risks including reports of employee tracking to train AI and a new class-action alleging profit from scam ads.

Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 769.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,550 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,417 shares during the quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $12,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Dorato Capital Management bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms by 26.3% during the 4th quarter. PMV Capital Advisers LLC now owns 96 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms by 64.8% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.9%

NASDAQ META opened at $674.72 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $516.52 and a fifty-two week high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 2.60. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $627.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $650.27. The stock has a market cap of $1.71 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.31.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.The business had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.02 EPS. The business's revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.94%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total value of $386,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,565,949. This trade represents a 13.10% 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, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.09, for a total value of $629,763.34. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,549,946.79. This trade represents a 8.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 166,117 shares of company stock valued at $106,367,778. Company insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the topic of several recent research reports. Pivotal Research reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $910.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $800.00 price target (up from $770.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Evercore raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $837.09.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank reiterates a Buy and highlights Meta’s AI investments that could boost core ad revenue — bullish research note and $920 target underpins upside expectations. Deutsche Bank AI Impact
• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target (to ~$908) and Citi/JMP reaffirmed market-outperform/near-$900 targets — multiple analyst upgrades lend momentum to the rally and support investor confidence. UBS hikes target
• Positive Sentiment: Meta broke ground on a >$1B data center in Tulsa and is ramping AI-capacity builds — tangible infrastructure expansion signals commitment to AI compute and long-term revenue/efficiency gains. Tulsa data center
• Positive Sentiment: Noon Energy partnership reserves up to 1 GW / 100 GWh of long‑duration energy storage for Meta data centers — supports resilient, green AI operations and may lower operational risk/costs for large-capex builds. Noon Energy deal
• Positive Sentiment: Broadcom extended/expanded AI partnership with Meta through 2029 — supply/partnership continuity for AI hardware helps execution of Meta’s scale-up plans. Broadcom pact
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Q1 earnings (Apr 29): company guidance implies very strong YoY revenue growth and Muse Spark AI monetization will be watched — results/guidance could amplify moves in either direction. Earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan disclosed scheduled sales under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan (multiple small blocks sold) — routine insider selling but worth noting given timing; not currently tied to new guidance. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Meta will log employees’ keystrokes/mouse activity to train AI have sparked privacy and employee‑relations concerns — potential PR, morale and regulatory risks that could attract scrutiny. Employee tracking
• Negative Sentiment: The Consumer Federation of America filed a class-action alleging Meta profited from scam ads and misled users — fresh litigation risk that could increase legal costs and reputational pressure. CFA lawsuit

Meta Platforms 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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