Haverford Trust Co Trims Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Haverford Trust reduced its Meta stake by 16.2% in the second quarter, selling 34,365 shares and retaining 177,284 shares valued at approximately $99.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $788.88, although several firms recently lowered their targets. Meta’s shares opened at $673.31, with a market capitalization of approximately $1.72 trillion.
• Meta’s latest quarterly revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, exceeding expectations, but earnings per share of $6.18 missed consensus estimates of $7.19. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while insiders sold $37.7 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Haverford Trust Co lowered its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 16.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 177,284 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 34,365 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for 0.9% of Haverford Trust Co's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Haverford Trust Co's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $99,862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RHL Group LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Bayban increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 100.0% in the first quarter. Bayban now owns 70 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on META shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $725.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $785.00 target price (down from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four 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. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $788.88.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META opened at $673.31 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $790.80. The stock has a market cap of $1.72 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.36, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.25. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $605.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $609.16.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued 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). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 61,758 shares of company stock valued at $37,709,420 in the last ninety days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI subscriptions create a potential new revenue stream. Meta launched Meta One subscription tiers offering expanded access to AI tools and premium features across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The company says the program has reached 15 million subscriptions and trials, supporting the case that Meta can generate recurring revenue beyond advertising. Reuters article on Meta One subscriptions
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish. Rosenblatt reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $886 price target, while JPMorgan highlighted improving AI monetization and better advertising performance. Citi also said next week’s developers conference could provide a catalyst if Meta unveils compelling AI and hardware updates. Citi commentary on Meta’s upcoming event
• Positive Sentiment: New hardware and infrastructure initiatives could broaden Meta’s AI ecosystem. Meta reportedly plans to launch camera-free smart glasses this fall, while expanded use of proprietary AI chips could reduce reliance on Nvidia and potentially lower computing costs. Reuters article on camera-free smart glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is defending a faster, company-led AI development strategy. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Meta delayed its Muse AI agent to address safety concerns but opposed broad development slowdowns, favoring independent evaluators and internal safeguards.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution risks remain. BMO identified expanding age-verification requirements as a potential challenge, while new restrictions on youth-oriented advertising practices could increase Meta’s legal and compliance costs. Investors are also watching the company’s large AI infrastructure commitments, which could pressure free cash flow if advertising growth or AI utilization disappoints.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling adds a limited cautionary signal. COO Javier Olivan sold shares worth roughly $1.0 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The transactions reduce his holdings but do not necessarily indicate a change in management’s outlook.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

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