Hartford Funds Management Co LLC Has $3.11 Million Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Hartford Funds Management increased its Meta Platforms stake by 77.5% in the fourth quarter, owning 4,707 shares valued at about $3.11 million. Meta now ranks as the firm’s 19th-largest position and makes up roughly 0.3% of its portfolio.
• Meta reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $10.44 versus $6.67 expected and revenue of $56.31 billion, up 33.1% year over year. Analysts still see significant earnings growth ahead, forecasting 29.35 EPS for the current year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share and continues to draw mixed signals from insiders, including recent stock sales by the CFO and CTO under pre-arranged trading plans.

Hartford Funds Management Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 77.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,707 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,055 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 0.3% of Hartford Funds Management Co LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $3,108,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 78 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $635.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a PE ratio of 23.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $796.25. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $617.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $636.91.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.43 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.35 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.63%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,195 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.84, for a total value of $5,589,088.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,014,978.24. This trade represents a 41.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.83, for a total transaction of $4,769,642.01. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 414 shares in the company, valued at $251,641.62. This represents a 94.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 40,366 shares of company stock valued at $25,038,396 over the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched paid subscription plans for Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Meta AI, creating a new monetization path beyond advertising. Early reports suggest the pricing could meaningfully add to revenue over time, and analysts have highlighted upside if adoption builds. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Meta also announced a quarterly cash dividend, which may appeal to income-focused investors and signals confidence in the company’s cash generation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remained constructive, with Rosenblatt reaffirming a buy rating and raising its price target, reflecting optimism around Meta’s ad business, AI efforts, and new subscription revenue. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta committed additional funding to its Oversight Board through 2028, which supports governance stability but is unlikely to move the stock much on its own. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre-arranged trading plan, which is routine insider activity and not necessarily a bearish signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta faces continued legal and reputational overhangs, including a Kentucky trial seeking a large penalty and a Supreme Court setback in the Vermont Instagram addiction case. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and set a $1,015.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $800.00 target price (down from $880.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $835.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $840.19.

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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