J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Has $72.55 Million Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its stake in Meta by 5.0% to 109,901 shares worth $72.55 million, representing 1.2% of the firm's portfolio and the stock's 19th-largest holding.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $843.57, though individual firms have been revising targets and ratings (e.g., Rosenblatt higher at $1,144, KeyCorp cut to $835, Erste downgraded to Hold).
• Meta is accelerating its AI/hardware push—launching new Ray‑Ban AI glasses, partnering with the VA on clinical VR, and hiring hardware leaders—while also cutting ~200 Bay Area roles and facing rising legal and regulatory risks.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 109,901 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,278 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up 1.2% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $72,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Westchester Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 26.3% in the fourth quarter. PMV Capital Advisers LLC now owns 96 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Evergreen Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 64.8% in the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on META. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $835.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 26th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $1,117.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $685.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $843.57.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Launched new AI wearables — Meta expanded its Ray‑Ban smart‑glasses lineup (prescription Ray‑Ban Meta Blayzer Optics and Meta Scriber Optics), reinforcing the company’s push to monetize AI-powered consumer hardware and services. Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) Strengthens AI Strategy With New Glasses and Services
• Positive Sentiment: Moves into clinical VR with VA — Meta partnered with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to scale clinical-grade VR therapy in VA medical centers, signaling enterprise and regulated-market adoption for its VR/Quest platform. This can open non‑advertising revenue channels. Meta’s VA Partnership Puts Clinical VR Therapy In Meta Platforms Story
• Positive Sentiment: Building AI hardware capability — Meta’s Superintelligence Labs hired veteran engineer Rui Xu to lead hardware efforts, suggesting deeper investment in custom AI devices beyond glasses, which supports long‑term vertical integration for AI compute and products. Meta Superintelligence Labs is quietly building a hardware team
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trims price target but stays constructive — Wells Fargo cut its PT to $765 (from $856) while maintaining an Overweight rating, reflecting confidence in long‑term AI upside despite nearer‑term uncertainty ahead of earnings. Ahead of Meta, Alphabet earnings, Wells Fargo keeps overweight, cuts PTs
• Neutral Sentiment: China signals support for lawful cross‑border deals — Beijing said it supports law‑abiding transnational tech deals after reports of a Meta review, offering potential clarity for any China‑related partnerships or supply arrangements. China says it supports law‑abiding transnational deals after reports of Meta deal review
• Negative Sentiment: Bay Area layoffs — Meta is cutting roughly 200 roles in the San Francisco Bay Area as it restructures teams while reallocating capital toward AI infrastructure; layoffs can be read as cost discipline but also highlight internal reshaping and near‑term workforce disruption. Meta's Bay Area layoffs affect roughly 200 workers as company pours billions into AI infrastructure
• Negative Sentiment: Rising legal/regulatory risk — Recent court losses and challenges to Section 230 protections have increased litigation and regulatory uncertainty for Meta, which could lead to higher compliance costs, content moderation expense and potential liabilities. Meta, Google under attack as court cases bypass 30‑year‑old legal shieldWhat's next for Meta in the wake of trial losses and layoffs?
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and PT trims — Morgan Stanley cut its PT to $775 citing softer ad trends and Erste downgraded to Hold; analyst cuts increase selling pressure and shorten the runway for multiple near‑term catalysts. Morgan Stanley trims PT on Meta Platforms (META) to $775 amid softer advertising backdropMeta Platforms was downgraded by Erste Group Bank AG

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $632.02, for a total value of $366,571.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,797,952.54. This trade represents a 11.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total transaction of $36,471,323.70. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 161,448 shares of company stock worth $103,333,788. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $574.46 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $637.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $660.71. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $479.80 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.45 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.31.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. 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 company earned $8.02 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.94%.

Meta Platforms Company 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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