Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management Acquires 4,865 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Gerber Kawasaki increased its Meta stake by 9% in the third quarter, buying 4,865 shares to bring its holdings to 58,680 shares, valued at about $42.6 million.
• Several other large institutional investors also added to their positions; institutions and hedge funds collectively own about 79.9% of Meta’s shares.
• Meta reported quarterly EPS of $7.40, beating the $6.54 consensus, while revenue rose 26.1% year over year to $64.6 billion. Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $833.12.

Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,680 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 4,865 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for about 1.1% of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $42,554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in META. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $7,230,426,000 after acquiring an additional 162,909 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,784,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,964,745,000 after purchasing an additional 404,948 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.8%

META opened at $610.15 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $674.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $632.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The business's revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.25 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is 7.16%.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. 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 three months, insiders have sold 151,090 shares of company stock valued at $103,150,807. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on META shares. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $865.00 to $850.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Pivotal Research boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Phillip Securities upgraded Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $833.12.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched Spaces, a collaboration feature for its Muse AI agents, following the rollout of Muse Voice. The new offerings may help strengthen user engagement and expand Meta’s consumer AI ecosystem. Meta introduces Spaces
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings commentary points to AI supporting Meta’s advertising operations, reinforcing the potential for the company’s AI investments to generate revenue. Takeaways from recent earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta paused planned updates to its terms and is keeping existing rules in place. The move avoids an immediate policy change, though the underlying issues remain unresolved. Meta pauses planned terms updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Plans for new nonvoting Class C shares have been described as effectively creating a 2-for-1 split. A split changes the number of shares, but does not by itself change the company’s underlying value; the structure preserves Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. Is Meta Platforms next for a stock split?
• Negative Sentiment: Meta and other platforms sued to block California restrictions on social-media features for users under 16. The case adds regulatory uncertainty and potential legal costs. Platforms sue over California teen social-media law
• Negative Sentiment: Meta warned that political backlash and possible limits on data-center construction could complicate its AI expansion. Its $15 billion senior-notes offering also highlights the scale of financing required for investment. Data-center expansion concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Reported ETF net selling and insider share sales may add short-term pressure, although the disclosed insider transaction was made under a pre-arranged trading plan. ETFs are net sellers of Meta Platforms

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world.

The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta's business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.

Founded in 2004 as Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow students, the company changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building social technologies and immersive digital experiences.

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