Generate Investment Management Ltd Purchases 14,302 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Generate Investment Management increased its Meta Platforms stake by 8.5% in the third quarter, purchasing 14,302 shares for a total of 183,126 shares valued at approximately $132.8 million.
• Institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta, while the stock traded at $737.54 and has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $801.53.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year, but earnings per share of $6.18 fell short of estimates; the company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while insiders have sold roughly $102.2 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Generate Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 8.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 183,126 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,302 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 5.2% of Generate Investment Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Generate Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $132,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in META. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the second quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,577,000 after acquiring an additional 2,939 shares in the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc increased its position in Meta Platforms by 33.6% in the 2nd quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,707,000 after buying an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. William John Sempolinski acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 38.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $9,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 63.7% during the 2nd quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $65,333,000 after purchasing an additional 45,130 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $737.54 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $650.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $623.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 149,797 shares of company stock worth $102,180,385. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full AI models are strengthening its competitive position. Muse Wonder ranked second in a 57-model accounting benchmark, ahead of OpenAI and Google models, supporting the view that Meta is narrowing the gap with leading AI developers. Muse Wonder benchmark article
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $810 price target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850 and Truist maintained a bullish $1,000 target. Analysts cited Meta’s large user base, AI distribution and potential future revenue from personal AI agents. Bank of America AI outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded WhatsApp with free guest voice and video calling for non-account holders, potentially improving adoption and business utility by removing registration and download barriers. WhatsApp guest calling article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive but divided. KeyCorp and Rosenblatt reaffirmed bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively, while Goldman Sachs cut its target from $860 to $762 but retained a Buy rating. The differing views reflect uncertainty over AI monetization and investment requirements.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cited rising operating expenses, while other commentary warned that accelerated Meta Superintelligence Labs investment could pressure free cash flow and lead to valuation compression around the upcoming third-quarter earnings report.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan disclosed sales totaling 1,575 shares at an average $728.10. Both transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their signaling value, but the sales still represent a notable reduction in his direct holdings.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on META shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. CICC Research reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. DZ Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $801.53.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

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